


Part of Your World

by queenssaviour



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), The Little Mermaid (1989)
Genre: F/F, Minor Character Death, The Little Mermaid AU, fairytale AU, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 00:14:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8775547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenssaviour/pseuds/queenssaviour
Summary: Her mother would do anything to get her way; Regina knew as much. One wouldn’t say no to her; that would often lead to death, or in Regina’s case, a life of eternal suffering. Her mother didn’t care about what Regina wanted one bit – all that mattered was ensuring her daughter became accomplished at what she thought was the best for her.   Regina just wanted to be free. She had always felt like she belonged somewhere else and that she was meant to do something else. She wasn’t meant to live her life as the Queen of the sea and marry a man four times her age. What she desired was something her mother would never approve of. What she wanted more than anything was to live on land. A SQ mermaid AU written for Swan Queen Supernova 2016.





	1. Day One: Under the Sea

**Author's Note:**

  * For [coalitiongirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/coalitiongirl/gifts), [aguti](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aguti/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I can't believe this fic is seeing the light of the day, but here we go! 
> 
> First of all, many thanks to Mari for creating beautiful art for this fic. I'm super grateful; thank you so so much. You can check the art out [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8787787).
> 
> I'd also like to thank everyone who's helped me finish this story - above everyone else my beta Tris (without whom I'd be lost). Also a special thanks to Lauren, Mari, Ari, and everyone else on Twitter who helped me with the outline of the fic/cheerleaded a lot. I'm really grateful. Last but not least, I'd like to thank the awesome SQ supernova team for organizing this event and inspiring people to write stories and create art featuring our two favorite ladies.
> 
>  
> 
> I feel like I should probably point out that there's a dude named Robin in this fic, but you can see pretty soon that he's there mainly for some discussion on heteronormativity & Regina's into someone else completely, anyway (hint: it's Emma). Trigger warning for abusive mother Cora probably?
> 
>  
> 
> Any familiar dialogue belongs to Disney & I'm just playing with their characters and setting.
> 
>  
> 
> Okay, here we go. I hope you enjoy!

“You can’t force me to marry him!” Regina shouted.

 

“This isn’t a matter of discussion, Regina,” her mother responded. “You will marry the Sea King in three days’ time, and you should be grateful you have this opportunity. You have no idea how many women would kill to be in your place.”

 

Regina spun around and swam away as fast as she could before her mother could use magic to stop her. That had happened more than once, and she had no desire to be caged in her room until her upcoming wedding.

 

Not that she had any intention to attend said wedding. She wouldn’t.

 

Her mother had always envisioned a grand future for her. That grand future included being the Queen of the sea and ruling it beside a king that was old enough to be Regina’s grandfather. Her mother was a powerful sorceress, and Regina was fairly certain she had wanted to rule the sea herself, but getting her daughter to do it was the next best thing.

 

Her mother would do anything to get her way; Regina knew as much. One wouldn’t say no to her; that would often lead to death, or in Regina’s case, a life of eternal suffering. Her mother didn’t care about what Regina wanted one bit – all that mattered was ensuring her daughter became accomplished at what she thought was the best for her.

 

Regina just wanted to be free. She had always felt like she belonged somewhere else and that she was meant to do something else. She wasn’t meant to live her life as the Queen of the sea and marry a man four times her age. What she desired was something her mother would never approve of.

 

What she wanted more than anything was to live on land. It was where humans lived and where they got around by feet instead of fins. It sounded surreal, like something out of legends since merpeople hardly ever went above the sea surface, but Regina knew it was true. When she had been a child and her father had still been alive, he had told her stories about people who lived on land.

 

After her father’s passing, she had wanted to see the magical place he had told her about, so a few months ago Regina had broken her mother’s rule to never leave the sea. She had breathed fresh air for the first time, and it had been wonderful. The sun. The chilly sea air. A tiny bird she had acquainted herself with and named Henry after her father.

 

She had spent the day talking with Henry and swimming along the sea shore until her friend, Marian, had come looking for her. Marian knew all about Regina’s fascination with the other world. She had even admitted to having similar thoughts, although she had been more interested in humans than actually leaving the sea.

 

They had spent all day enjoying the sun until nightfall. Just when they had been about to go back before Regina’s mother would have started looking for them, they had seen a ship approaching them. In silent agreement, they had swum towards the ship, knowing that this might just be their only chance to see humans up close.

 

The sight that had awaited Regina had taken her by surprise. There had been several people on board, but the person that had caught her eye had been a blond-haired girl not much younger than herself. The girl had been in bad shape, her face tired and her hair and clothes dirty, but Regina had been mesmerized by the way she had walked on the deck, her legs moving and her hips swaying without her seeming to give the movement any conscious thought. The girl’s face had lit up at the sight of a four-legged animal that had sprinted towards her and licked her face, but that’s when Marian had pulled her back underwater.

 

Marian’s reason had been good enough – she had noticed Regina’s mother’s small army of sea creatures that had appeared to look for them – so they had swum back home.

 

Regina just couldn’t forget the girl she had seen; she had spent the next few months coming back to shore, sometimes alone, sometimes with Marian in tow. They had learned more and more about the land from Henry: the bird seemed to have extensive knowledge on the human way of life and he had an impressive amount of stories to tell for a bird so young.

 

But all good things come to an end - to Regina often sooner than later. Her mother found out what she’d been doing, and she’d been furious, of course. She had destroyed Regina’s small collection of human artifacts that she had gathered and informed her that she could forget about her ridiculous dreams and hopes because she’d be getting married in three days.

 

“No, no, no,” Regina chanted to no one in particular as she swam away from her mother’s lair in an increasingly fast pace. “I need help.”

 

“Poor sweet child. She has a very serious problem,” a low voice whispered.

 

Regina stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. She was faced with three eels that were practically smirking at her as they swam closer. They looked malevolent, and on any other day she would’ve swum away, but today she was in despair.

 

“Who are you?” she asked. Her heart was still racing because of the conversation she had had with her mother, and she could hear the fear and desperation in her voice.

 

“We will present someone who can help you,” answered another eel. “Someone who can make all your dreams come true.”

 

“You can escape your mother and live on land… forever,” the third eel added.

 

“I don’t understand,” she admitted. How could these three eels help her? Her mother was a powerful sorceress. There wasn’t anyone as powerful as her apart from… “Rumpelstiltskin?”

 

She had heard stories about Rumpelstiltskin. Everyone had. He was also known as the Dark One, an imp of a man who helped merfolk who had lost all hope. There was always a price for his help, and Regina had been taught from early on to never accept any deal he had to offer, but this was definitely an emergency.

 

“Take me to him,” she said sternly, already made up her mind.

 

She wouldn’t let mother win this. She would have to push back and fight for _her_ happy ending.

 

* * *

 

 

“So, what do we have here?” a squeaky voice asked as the eels guided Regina into a hidden lair at the bottom of the ocean.

 

She could barely see where the sound came from: there was someone hidden in the shadows at the end of the dimly-lit cavern. When she looked down, she could see several small slimy creatures whose terrified eyes were directed right at her. One of them tried to grab her wrist, but she managed to break free and swim forward.

 

“Rumpel-shtiltskin,” she said, trying to keep her voice stern.

 

“That’s not how you say it, dearie,” the voice responded, and Regina was soon faced with a man that wasn’t a man at all. The skin of his face was all scales, and instead of a fin, his lower body was that of a beetle with pincers and six legs. His wide grin revealed a row of staggered yellow teeth when he let out a giggle. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Rumpelstiltskin.”

 

“And I’m…” she started but was cut short.

 

“Regina,” Rumpelstiltskin finished, way too amused for Regina’s liking.

 

“You know me because you taught my mother,” Regina asserted. She had always thought so, although she had never heard her mother confirm her suspicions. It was still clear she hadn’t become the second-most powerful sorceress of the sea on her own.

 

“Well, amongst other things, but that’s not why I know you,” the imp continued. “I know every desperate soul in the ocean, and you want nothing more than to leave these depths and live up on the shore. Isn’t that right, dearie?”

 

Regina simply nodded.

 

“Luckily for you, I have a solution to your problem,” Rumpelstiltskin smirked. He walked closer to Regina who fought the urge to swim backwards and leave the cavern as fast as she could. “I am willing to make a deal in which you become a human yourself. Long strong legs and the ability to walk. The whole package.”

 

Regina’s mouth gaped open. The deal seemed too good to be true. There was always a catch with Rumpelstiltskin. She knew as much. “And you can do that? Just like that?”

 

“Oh, dearie,” Rumpelstiltskin laughed. “That’s what I do. It’s what I live for. To help unfortunate merfolk, like yourself. Poor souls with no one else to turn to.”

 

“What’s the catch?”

 

“No catch. Just some ground rules since all magic comes with a price!” he explained as his grin spread wider.

 

She sighed. She was smart enough to know that this could end catastrophically, but she had to at least hear what Rumpelstiltskin had to say. “I’m listening.”

 

“First of all you should find True Love during the first three days on land and get that soulmate of yours to kiss you in that time,” Rumpelstiltskin listed as if he were talking about what he was planning to have for dinner. “I think three days is more than adequate since that’s when you’re bound to be married.  Oh, and I want your voice.”

 

“My voice?” Regina repeated.  That was outrageous. She couldn’t find love in that time, much less without her voice. It was impossible. “But without my voice, how can I-”

 

“I’m sorry, but giving up your voice comes with all deals of this nature; I can’t change that. I’m sure if it’s True Love, you’ll have no trouble finding a way,” Rumpelstiltskin asserted. He clapped his hands as he let out another hysterical giggle. “Do we have a deal?”

 

Regina looked at him, unable to say anything. The deal was doomed from the start.

 

Rumpelstiltskin sighed dramatically. “Fine. Since I would actually like you to succeed, I’m going to give you a hint…”  Rumpelstiltskin lowered his voice and winked.  “As you may know, I can see the future, and I can tell you that your True Love lives in the castle of the nearby kingdom.“

 

She couldn’t possibly agree to this, could she? Why would Rumpelstiltskin even want her to succeed? And even if he was telling the truth, finding True Love in that short of a time was very unlikely. She was certain it was waiting for her somewhere, but agreeing to find it like this was taking a huge risk.

 

She still knew that True Love wouldn’t be awaiting her on her quickly approaching wedding day. She sighed.

 

“What happened to the people who made a deal and couldn’t keep their end of the bargain?”  

 

“Oh,” Rumpelstiltskin said, feigning surprise. “I admit that once or twice someone couldn’t pay the price. I had to rake them across the coals,” he explained as he waved his hand towards the small slimy creatures at the entryway of the cavern.

 

Regina looked at the creatures again. She could see herself, doomed to spend the rest of her life trapped inside Rumpelstiltskin’s cavern. But wouldn’t that be better than being forced to marry someone she didn’t want to? Even if she didn’t succeed, her mother wouldn’t win. She would _never_ marry the King.

 

“Go ahead. Make your choice,” Rumpelstiltskin urged her on. “I’m a very busy man, and I don’t have all day. You could have everything you dream of, and it won’t cost much; just your voice.”

 

He snapped his scaly fingers, and a scroll appeared in front of her. She went through the text, coming to the conclusion that the pact included exactly what Rumplestiltskin said it would. She would have to give up her voice and find True Love in the following three days or she’d belong to Rumpelstiltskin forever.

 

“Why do you want me to succeed?”

 

“Let’s just say that no matter if you win or lose, I will get my revenge on someone,” he said with a shrug.

 

That would have to do. Regina gulped as she grabbed the pen floating in the water in front of her. This was her only option. Her mother would never let her get out of marrying the King. One simply didn’t say no to her.

 

She took one more look at Rumpelstiltskin’s expectant face before sighing and signing her name on the scroll. Immediately afterwards, Rumpelstiltskin poured different colorful liquids into a big black cauldron with a flick of his wrist, and Regina could feel constriction in her throat. She tried to speak, but no voice came out. It had worked.

 

“Don’t exhaust yourself for nothing, dearie. You won’t be able to make a sound,” Rumpelstiltskin said. “So, just to recap. Before the sun sets on the third day, you’ve got to get a True Love’s kiss. In that case, you remain human permanently. If not, you’ll turn back, and you’ll belong to me. Understood?”

 

All Regina could do was nod.

 

“Good,” Rumpelstiltskin said and clapped his hands.

 

Regina could feel an odd tingling sensation on her legs, and then she was changing right in front of her own eyes. Her dark green fin split in half and eventually disappeared, and two legs took its place. Rumpelstiltskin was watching her with a malevolent smirk on his lips, and that’s when Regina realized she had no idea how to get up and swim with her new legs.

 

She was just about to panic - she hadn’t even gotten out of the sea and she had already failed - when Marian appeared out of nowhere, grabbed Regina’s waist, and swam out of the lair and towards the surface faster than Regina could ever remember her swimming.

 

* * *

 

 

“I can’t believe you did that, you know,” Marian said once they were both above water level. She was still holding Regina and looking at her with a scrunched brow. “If I had gotten there earlier, I would’ve tried to stop you.”

 

Regina barely rolled her eyes. It was not like she could’ve done anything else.

 

“Anyway, I’ll do all I can to help. Let’s get you that happy ending,” she continued and started swimming towards the shore.

 

“Wait!” called a squeaky voice behind them. Regina turned her head and saw something small swimming after them. The lime-green starfish who went by the name Tink had always been a bit different from the rest of the sea creatures working for her mother; she usually only tried to help and seemed to be more loyal to Regina.

 

“Tink,” Marian said, surprise evident in her voice. “What are you doing here? You can’t tell Cora.”

 

“I saw what Regina did,” Tink explained. “I followed her after Cora told her she would have to marry the King. I want to help Regina find her True Love.”

 

Marian looked from Tink to Regina with suspicious eyes. Regina knew what she was thinking. Marian wasn’t sure if they could trust Tink, but Regina knew she was only trying to help. She wasn’t like the other starfish, so she nodded at Marian.

 

“Okay, you seem to have Regina’s approval. Let’s go find Regina a True Love,” Marian said.

 

* * *

 

 

Walking was _odd_. She could feel the sand underneath her feet, and when she moved her leg, she would have to move her other leg to move forward and actually walk. Regina got the hang of it pretty soon, having seen how humans normally walked, but it still felt weird to have her _legs_ steadily on earth.

 

After falling down a few times, she was able to walk to the shore. Being completely out of water was peculiar. The air around her barely moved. It wasn’t like water. Water was always in motion, and air felt so light and warm in comparison.

 

“Regina! You have legs!” said a squeaky voice from the sky. When Regina turned her head, she could see Henry flying towards them.

 

“Yes, and in order to keep her legs, she’s supposed to find True Love in three days… All the while she can’t talk,” Marian explained. She looked worried, her dark brow scrunched as her gaze shifted from Regina to Henry.

 

“We’ll get her there! Love is everywhere!” Tink said.

 

“If you want to stay human, you should put some clothes on!” Henry explained. “They always wear clothes. It’s weird, but that’s what they do. I’ll find you something!”

 

Regina watched as Henry flew away and soon returned with a cape of some sort in his beak. It looked very heavy for him to carry, but the bird seemed to manage it somehow.  “I couldn’t find any actual clothes, but they use these too,” he said after dropping the cape at Regina’s feet.

 

She picked the cape up and put it over her shoulders. She agreed this wasn’t what she had usually seen humans wearing, but she supposed she couldn’t exactly go look for the love of her life without any clothing at all. It wasn’t very human. She would’ve been exposed before she could even try to get to know anyone.

 

She didn’t have more time to wonder about her clothing, because suddenly she heard a loud noise coming from nearby. She then observed a splash of water as Marian dove back into the sea, and a few seconds later, she saw a familiar four-legged animal approach her. Her first instinct was to flee from the loud noise the animal was making, so she climbed on a nearby rock and hoped she was safe.

 

The creature was the animal she had seen on the deck of the ship that first night she had seen humans up close, and she suddenly remembered that night all too well. More specifically, she remembered the girl that had been with the dog. Regina had spent the entire night and the following days thinking about her, but she supposed it was to be expected. She had never seen a human before, and the girl she had seen was everything she wanted to be. She wondered if she’d run into her again now that she had legs.

 

Regina realized just how much she hoped she _would_ want to run into her again. Maybe seeing the dog was a sign…

 

“Pongo, where did you go?” she heard next.

 

For a second, Regina half expected to see the girl again, but she was faced with a young blond man dressed in fancy clothing instead. She tried not to feel disappointed. Why would she? She had legs, and now she had a potential True Love in front of her. He looked royal; he could’ve even been a prince from that nearby castle Rumpelstiltskin had mentioned. She tried to shake the thought of the girl away as she flashed the man a timid smile.

 

“Are you okay, Miss? Sorry if my dog scared you…” the man started.

 

Regina could only smile at him. She had been without her voice less than an hour and she was getting frustrated already. She always had something to say, and it was unbelievable that now that her future depended on it she really couldn’t say a thing.

 

She brought her hand to her throat and shook her head, which eventually seemed to make the man realize she couldn’t talk.

 

“Oh,” the man said. “Do you have a home?”

 

Regina shook her head.

 

“I’ll help you. I live in the nearby castle. We’ll take care of you.”

 

Regina nodded. She looked at Henry and Tink who were both standing on a nearby rock and smiling at her. Regina smiled back. Her plan had been put into motion. She would find True Love soon no matter what.

 

* * *

 

 

Regina couldn’t believe her luck when it turned out the man actually lived in the castle. He was a prince. A few people they passed addressed him as Prince Robin, and he greeted them in return.

 

Regina was ecstatic. The sun was shining, she was finally out of the sea, she was _walking_ on two legs that were hers. Then there was the Prince, of course. Meeting him at the beach felt like destiny; Regina was surely meant to be with him, wasn’t she? Something like that couldn’t just happen on accident. She was taken to a castle just when she was supposed to find True Love. She felt like her luck was finally turning.

 

“So, Zelena can draw you a bath, and then you can join us for dinner later,” the Prince said.

 

She cocked an eyebrow.

 

“The maid,” the Prince explained.

 

Regina nodded as they continued to approach the castle. The building was made of stone-like white material and its roof was dark red. It was beautiful; Regina had seen it before when she had been swimming by the seashore and longingly looked at the beautiful buildings on land.

 

Now that she actually was on land, everything felt even more surreal. The air around her felt so light and her long dark hair didn’t float behind her anymore, but rather it seemed to drift in the slight breeze. As they entered the castle, her bare feet were met with a cold solid substance she was expected to walk on. It felt different compared to the sand on the beach and the gravel of the road that led to the castle, and she soon decided that this was a much nicer material to walk on than the gravel.

 

The Prince was chattering next to her as they walked down the big hall, and Regina kept nodding  absentmindedly as she took in the castle. She would’ve loved to live here. It was just so human. There were red carpets on the floor and the big windows on the walls made the space seem light and welcoming.

 

Her thoughts were interrupted once they turned around the corner and she bumped into someone. Suddenly, she was looking into two beautiful green eyes and there was a warm hand on her waist. The eyes were staring right back at her until the person they belonged to seemed to snap out of it and pulled back.

 

“Sorry, Miss,” the girl who had bumped into her said. “I didn’t realize Robin had company.”

 

The girl was beautiful. Her face was framed by curly blonde hair, and her smile showed Regina a beautiful set of white teeth. It still wasn’t the girl’s beauty that captured Regina’s attention. Not fully, at least. Regina realized that this was the same girl she had seen that night she and Marian had been spying on humans. She had found the person she had been hoping to find.

 

The girl looked different now: she was wearing clean clothes, her face and hair weren’t covered in dirt anymore, and she seemed a lot healthier than she had on the ship. She looked older now, maybe as old as Regina. The condition she’d been in on the ship had made her look younger, but Regina was still sure she was the same girl she had seen back then; she could’ve remembered her smile decades later.

 

“I’m Emma,” the girl said, the smile never leaving her lips. “What’s your name?”

 

“She doesn’t talk,” the Prince explained, and for the first time after losing her speaking abilities, Regina really wanted to speak for herself. For some unexplainable reason, she wanted to get to know the girl more than anything.

 

“Oh,” Emma said and scrunched her brow. “Well, that’s okay. Let me draw her a bath anyway.”

 

“I actually thought about asking Zelena alread–” the Prince started.

 

“No, I’m on it,” Emma interrupted with a smile. “Let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

The room Emma took her in was beautiful just like the rest of the castle. Early evening sun came pouring in from the large windows, and when Regina tried to look outside, she could only see sky. She had never been this high above the sea level.

 

They had walked up the… stairs, as Emma had called them, to get into the room. Even though Regina was quickly getting used to having feet, walking up the stairs had turned out to be more difficult than she had originally thought. She had still followed Emma’s lead, and the other girl didn’t ask her any questions regarding her reaction to  the stairs.

 

Things had been fine until she was supposed to walk _down_ the stairs in the room Emma had taken her in. There was a round empty tub in the middle of the room, and they needed to descend the stairs to get to the bottom of the room. She eventually followed Emma’s lead and moved one leg in front of another, but she ended up moving her left leg too early and she fell down, only to be caught by Emma’s strong arms.

 

“Whoa, careful,” Emma said as her hands landed on Regina’s hips.  She smiled, and it was the most beautiful smile Regina had ever seen. Emma’s lips parted and revealed the other girl’s beautiful teeth again, and  – “I need to get you back in one piece.”

 

Regina nodded, but did nothing to let go of Emma. Her hands were gripping the other girl’s bare toned arms, the skin soft underneath her palms, and Emma’s breasts and stomach felt warm against Regina’s. She was so caught up in the moment that she almost forgot what she was supposed to be doing.

 

“So,” Emma said after a moment of silence. Her eyes flickered from Regina’s eyes to her lips and then back to her eyes again. “That bath?”

 

Regina snapped out of her trance that Emma’s proximity had caused. She pulled away and nodded as Emma moved aside. She could feel her cheeks get all hot and her heart beat faster. What was happening to her? Was it normal to feel this way about making a new friend? Marian didn’t make her feel like this. Maybe it was because Emma was a human  – something Regina had always wanted to be.

 

Emma turned a knob on the side of the tub, and soon water started flowing from the silvery pipe next to the knob. Regina was fascinated by the sight: there was no other water in the room than the one that was slowly filling the tub, but it still reminded her of the home she didn’t particularly want to go back to.

 

“I’d ask you so much stuff, but you don’t speak, so…” Emma shrugged apologetically as she approached her again. “You could nod or shake your head if I ask you something?”

 

She flashed Emma a smile and nodded. The girl was really sweet and evidently tried so hard to make her feel welcome. It made Regina feel all warm inside, and she wanted to ask Emma things too, but she really couldn’t get any words out.

 

“So, are you from here?” Emma started as the water slowly kept filling the tub behind her.

 

Regina shook her head.

 

“Do you have family looking for you?”

 

Regina held a small pause at that. Her mother was certainly looking for her. Furiously. But it wasn’t the kind of looking families did. If she had had a caring family that had actually looked for her because they wanted to make sure she was safe and happy, she wouldn’t have been in this situation in the first place.

 

She shook her head again.

 

Emma’s smile faltered at that. “Yeah, I know how that is. I actually found out I even had family only a couple of months ago.” Emma took a deep breath and looked away. “I was sent away as a child because a seer told my parents their kingdom was bound to fall if they didn’t. Apparently I was safe elsewhere, outside of my parents’ kingdom, but I was raised on the other side of the sea with no real parents or anyone who actually cared.”

 

Regina wanted to say something. Anything. She carefully approached Emma and brought a hand to her arm again.

 

Emma looked at her. “So yeah, after I turned eighteen, they took the risk and brought me back home. They all came looking for me in the village. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I’ve been here for such a short time, so I still don’t know if I can truly  trust my parents or anyone. I honestly don’t even believe that seer was for real. Nothing has happened after I came here.”

 

She squeezed Emma’s arm.

 

“Sorry, I don’t know why I’m basically telling you my life story,” Emma said, confusion evident on her face. “I guess you seem different. Like I can trust you.”

 

She smiled at that. Emma seemed different and trustworthy to her too.

 

“So, my brother seems to be quite into you,” Emma continued.

 

 _Oh. That._ How could she have forgotten? Talking with Emma had made her forget about her actual mission and the Prince that was supposedly waiting for her to join him at dinner.

 

“Be careful or you’ll be royalty too before you realize,” Emma laughed as she moved to fumble with one of the bottles on the side of the bathtub. She halted for a moment as if she had realized something. “I can’t believe I’m supposed to be a princess. The long-lost princess who’s finally home.”

 

Regina couldn’t do much else than to listen. Emma didn’t really strike her as a princess with her white top and black pants. She had heard princesses on land wore dresses so that you couldn’t see their legs.

 

“So, what about you?” Emma asked her. “Do you like my brother?”

 

 _Uhm._ Regina didn’t know. Frankly, everything Emma had told her about herself had made her forget that she should’ve probably been trying to think of ways to find True Love with the Prince. Emma was just so much more interesting.

 

Regina shrugged.

 

“I mean, that’s okay if you’re into him,” Emma said as she poured some liquid into the tub. “His… _our_ parents want him to find love and get married soon, which is really convenient for me right now because they’re not trying to push me towards any potential suitors. Not yet anyway.”

 

Emma turned around to flash a smile at her. The girl walked towards her again, her steps confident as the water behind her started bubbling. Regina tried to feign nonchalance at the odd bath and looked at Emma instead.

 

“I just got here, so I feel like they’ll focus on him first,” Emma shrugged. “I always wonder how upset they’d be if I told them I don’t want to marry any man they’ve planned for me.”

 

Emma’s face scrunched in deep thought. She looked almost sad, so Regina brought her hand to the girl’s arm again even though she wasn’t entirely certain why Emma appeared anxious.

 

“Anyway, you’ll probably know how to get into the bath on your own,” Emma said after a short while, a smile on her lips and her tone a lot lighter.

 

Regina actually wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t like she should or even could indicate that in any way, so she just nodded. She supposed getting clean in water wasn’t the most difficult thing she had to do as a human. It was what would come afterwards that scared her.

 

“I’ll leave you to it,” Emma said as she started walking towards the door. “Just leave your… clothing somewhere. I’ll come back soon with some clothes for you, okay?”

 

She nodded and smiled at Emma who was already by the door. The other girl flashed one more smile back at her before she disappeared and the door slammed shut behind her. Regina was alone.

 

“Regina!”

 

Or so she had thought.

 

She followed the sound of the hiss and saw that Tink had somehow managed to wiggle herself onto a windowsill. The starfish was waving at her.

 

“Henry brought me here, but he’s filling Marian in with what’s happening,” Tink explained. “He said it’s common for people to take baths, so you should probably get into the bathtub before that girl comes back.”

 

Yes, she needed to do that. She walked towards the tub and brought her hand to the knob Emma had used earlier. She turned it, and water stopped flowing. Fascinating.

 

“Okay, get in! You have a prince to woo! We saw you,” Tink continued. “I’m so glad things are working out. You need to find that love as soon as possible. Maybe he’s your long-lost soulmate… Wait, you need to take the cloth off first!”

 

She scrunched her nose. Really? She cast a look at Tink who was nodding on the windowsill. She guessed that with Henry’s knowledge on her side, Tink knew what to do better than her, so Regina ripped the knots open and the cape fell down at her feet.

 

She didn’t have much time to take a look at her new human body because she could hear distant footsteps echoing from the hallway. She raised her left leg as fast and carefully as she could and climbed over the side of the tub before sliding into the water. It felt so warm - much warmer than the seawater she was used to - but it didn’t make her uncomfortable.

 

She was just starting to adjust to the temperature of the water when there was a knock on the door and Emma’s head peeked inside the room. She was smiling uncertainly, and Regina automatically smiled back at her.

 

“Hi,” Emma said. “So, Mary Margaret, my mom… She’s really excited there’s finally a girl her son is interested in in the castle, so Zelena’s bringing you a dress after my mom’s picked one for you. She’s making me dress up for dinner too. I haven’t really worn a fancy dress that many times these couple of months, but sometimes they want me to do that for fancy dinners and ball stuff.” Emma rolled her eyes.

 

Regina smiled at Emma. The girl was so kind and good to her. She was really glad she was making friends already.

 

“So, do you wanna be alone until Zelena comes here with the dress or... ?” Emma asked her, the end of the question hanging open in the air.

 

She shook her head. She wanted to spend more time with Emma.

 

“Okay, I’ll stay,” Emma said, almost laughing. She descended the rest of the stairs so that she was on lower level of the room. “I guess I’ll just sit here.”

 

Regina watched as Emma took a chair and sat down. It was fascinating how Emma didn’t need to put any extra thought into sitting down even though there wasn’t any water around her to support her; she sat down slowly with excellent precision.

 

“So is the bath okay? The water’s fine?”

 

Regina nodded. She really wanted to dive in and try to swim with her legs, but she knew there wasn’t enough space in the tub. She still decided to go underwater for a little bit, so she held her breath (she wasn’t sure if the spell protected her from suffocating under water and she knew humans couldn’t breathe underwater) and dipped down.

 

She immediately regretted her decision. Not only was it confusing for her to consciously hold her breath underwater, her eyes started hurting the moment the white bubbly substance hit them. She came up coughing, because she had eventually breathed in some water after her eyes had started burning.

 

“Hey, whoa,” she could hear, but she couldn’t see anything because of her blurry vision. She tried to rub her eyes, but then there was more of that weird liquid in them, and she wanted to cry. How did humans survive in water? “You okay?”

 

She eventually regained her sight and was met with the sight of Emma looking worried. The other girl had left the chair and was crouched down right next to the bathtub.

 

Regina nodded, although she didn’t exactly feel fine with her eyes and throat burning. The pain was still subsiding, so she supposed she would be back to normal in no time.

 

“You ready to get dressed?” Emma asked her.

 

She nodded.

 

“You don’t seem to be used to so much water.”

 

Regina started laughing. She couldn’t help it. She was more than used to water. That’s why she was in this mess.

 

She noticed no sound was coming out when she laughed, though. Rumpelstiltskin had really taken away all of her voice. She felt like she was half coughing and half silently chuckling as she met Emma’s eyes. The girl was looking at her encouragingly and smiled until Regina wasn’t laughing anymore.

 

“Okay, let’s get changed. I’m starving,” Emma said as she moved towards the stairs. “Zelena should-”

 

Emma didn’t get to finish her sentence, because that was when the door opened. There was a girl about Regina’s age  – perhaps a few years older than her  – in the doorway. She was dressed in a green dress and and white apron, and her ginger hair was pulled back. She looked highly irritated when her eyes met Regina’s, and Regina couldn’t understand why the maid would have any hard feelings towards her before actually getting to know her first.

 

“Oh, good, you brought the clothes,” Emma said, seemingly unaffected by Zelena’s sulking. “Thanks.”

 

The girl didn’t seem to register Emma’s words at first, her gaze fixated on Regina, until Emma coughed.

 

“Uhm, Zelena?”

 

“I’m sorry,” Zelena said as she regained what Regina guessed was her normal composure. “I don’t know what got into me.”

 

“Don’t worry,” Emma said, but her expression was a bit wary as her gaze shifted between Regina and Zelena. “Will you help our guest with her dress?”

 

“Of course,” Zelena said. She flashed Emma a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

 

“Uhm, okay, cool,” Emma said, her expression still a bit suspicious. “I need to go check on something, but I’ll see you at dinner.”

 

The girl took one last look at them and flashed Regina a smile before she ran up the stairs and left the room.

 

“So, feel free to get out of that bathtub whenever you’re ready,” Zelena said as she placed a warm-looking blanket on the chair Emma had been sitting on. “Use that towel.”

 

 _Ah. Right._ Humans dried themselves after being in water. Henry had mentioned it once before. Peculiar.

 

Zelena turned her back and started working on something that looked like one of those fancy articles of clothing humans wore sometimes. Regina supposed it was the clothes that had been brought to her, but she couldn’t be sure.

 

She got out of the bath with some effort (it was harder to get out than in because she was wet), and she walked towards the chair to get her towel. She dried herself in a way that she supposed was natural while Zelena started speaking, her back still turned.

 

“So, Robin told me you don’t speak,” Zelena said and continued without waiting for an answer, “You know, it’s odd you just burst in here and get everything just like that.” Zelena turned around, her eyes wide and her expression incredulous. “Other people have been trying to get his attention for years, and then suddenly the Queen is talking about a girl who’s finally won her son’s heart. Can you believe that? You’re practically… no one, and he chooses you instead of some of the girls he’s known for years.”

 

Regina wouldn’t have known how to respond even if she had been able to speak. What could one even respond to what Zelena was saying? The girl had no idea what Regina had been through and what she had done to get this far.

 

“I suppose life is just unfair like that. Some of us have great futures offered on a silver platter,” Zelena continued. She started walking towards Regina, the dress in her grasp. “Let’s get you dressed, shall we?” Her voice was cheerful and her lips were curved upwards, but anyone would’ve known that her faux smile didn’t mean anything.

  
Regina couldn’t do anything else than to nod and hope that she wouldn’t cross paths with Zelena again.

* * *

After what felt like forever, Regina finally was finally walking towards the room where she was supposed to meet Emma, the Prince, the King, and the Queen for lunch. She was nervous. This was her future they were talking about, and she really wanted them to like her.

 

She caught herself wondering how important it was for her that Emma would continue to like her, but she tried to shake the thought away. She really needed to concentrate on her possible True Love, the Prince.

 

She took a deep breath and tried to push Zelena’s words to the back of her mind. She should be free of insecurities and doubts for everything to work. She would do her very best, and she’d fight for her happy ending and show mother she was more than just her puppet.

 

Regina looked down on the red carpet she was walking on. It felt scratchy underneath her feet, but she was still grateful she had opted out of wearing those dreadful things Zelena had called shoes; she had trouble walking straight already with the heavy dress around her.

 

With a smile on her lips, she walked through the doors. She was met with the sight of the Prince, two fancily-clad adults, and a young woman who appeared to be serving drinks.

 

“Hello, dear. We were expecting you,” the woman at the end of the table said as she stood up. “I’m Mary Margaret.”

 

 _Regina._ She thought, but she knew no voice would leave her mouth, so she wouldn’t even try. She simply nodded and shook the woman’s hand.

 

“You can sit here next to Robin,” the woman fussed as she guided her closer to the table. “Here.”

 

Mary Margaret beamed at her as she walked back to her seat. Regina turned to look at the Prince next to her. He was smiling. It was a kind smile, the kind that belonged to a person she felt like she could trust, but she didn’t feel particularly enamoured by it.

 

“You look beautiful. Emma said everything went fine earlier,” the Prince said, his voice stern.

 

Regina smiled as a thank you, but her mind was concentrating on something else than the compliment she had just been given. Where was Emma?

 

“Emma should be here soon,” the man at the other end of the table said. “She’s just a bit late. I’m David. Welcome to our kingdom.”

 

Regina smiled and bowed her head as a thank you. She didn’t really know how to act around human royals, but she seemed to be doing alright so far. These people didn’t seem too hard on the etiquette. Not at this moment, at least. Her mother alone had been much harder on her.

 

“Sorry, I’m late,” said a familiar voice from behind her. She turned on her seat and was faced with the sight of Emma in the doorway. Her dress was a soft baby blue colour and it reached the floor. She looked very different from before, but just as beautiful. “This dress took ages to get into.”

 

“That’s fine, Emma dear,” Mary Margaret said, her voice kind. “Take a seat across Robin and our visitor, won’t you?”

 

“Sure,” Emma breathed out. When her eyes met Regina’s, she whispered a “hi” and winked at her. Regina couldn’t help but to grin.

 

Emma sat down across the table, first struggling with her dress, but then simply pulling it to her side so that she could sit properly. She met Regina’s eyes and smiled at her again. This was nice. Having lunch with Emma and her family. The sun was setting outside and it was so quiet…

 

… Until she heard horrible shattering from down the hall.

 

There was an awkward silence during which Regina and Emma’s eyes met. Emma shrugged. No one said anything as the clattering continued. The King coughed.

 

“Uhm,” the woman who had been serving them drinks said. “I should probably go check on Granny.”

“Thank you, Ruby,” Mary Margaret said to the girl. Her expression was friendly; it was nothing like the face Regina’s mother gave to their servants.

 

The girl smiled back at the Queen before hastily exiting the room and leaving Regina alone with the royal family. The Prince started to explain something about archery group he had recently started to hunt with, but Regina’s attention was soon drawn to all the fascinating human artifacts on the table. There were see-through containers with water inside them, white round saucers, and _dinglehoppers!_ She remembered that one well. Henry had shown her one once before.

 

She was excited. Finally something she recognized and knew how to use. She took the dinglehopper in her hand and brought it to her hair to sort any possible knots in it, but when she turned to look at Emma opposite her, she saw an amused and somewhat confused expression on the girl’s face.

 

_Oh, no._

 

Maybe Henry had been wrong all along. It was possible that he had only speculated the true function of dinglehoppers;  the bird was quite a storyteller. Regina quickly put the dinglehopper back to its place and glanced at the rest of the family. None of them had noticed what she had been doing. Only Emma’s eyes had been on her when she had tried to use the dinglehopper.

 

The girl was still looking at her, her expression amused and puzzled. Regina could feel a blush rising on her cheeks. If she wanted to pass for a human, she needed to act like one.

 

“Perhaps our guest would like to join you for a tour around the kingdom?”

 

The King’s voice pulled Regina back from her thoughts. Her eyes met his, and she nodded. She would love to see more of the kingdom and how the townspeople lived.

 

“Oh, yes,” the Prince agreed next to her. “That sounds like a good idea.”

 

“I’m sure it’d be wonderful! There are a lot of places to see. I’m sure you’d love it!” Mary Margaret added enthusiastically. “What do you think Emma?”

 

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Emma said.

 

Regina looked at Emma again just as the girl shook her head before turning to face her mother. She seemed rather oblivious as to what her parents and brother had just been discussing.

 

“Your father and I were wondering if you would like to show our kingdom to your new friend,” Mary Margaret explained.

 

“Absolutely,” Emma said, a smile breaking over her face as she turned to look at Regina. “Do you wanna go?”

 

She nodded again.

 

“Wonderful,” the Prince said next to her, and Regina turned her head to face him again. She couldn’t believe she had almost forgotten he had been sitting there. “We’ll go tomorrow after breakfast!”

 

* * *

 

 

A few hours later, after sunset, she was wearing a human nightgown. It was an odd feeling. She was wearing human clothing, she was standing in a human bedroom  – a grand spacious guest room that the King and Queen had been kind enough to lend her  – and she would be going to the city tomorrow with Emma and the Prince.

 

She sighed. She really hoped this could last forever and she could keep her legs.

 

She walked out of her room to a balcony that was overlooking the sea and a garden. Her gaze wandered off to the sea first. She wondered what her mother was doing and if she would use magic to find her. Her thoughts were soon brought elsewhere when she heard a bark and could spot the four-legged animal  – a _dog_ called Pongo, if she remembered correctly  – running in the garden.

 

Pongo got company very soon as Emma appeared behind the bushes and threw a branch for him to fetch. The dog ran after the branch while Emma waited, hands on her hips and a smile on her face. Regina couldn’t stop looking at her. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because she had always wanted to be like Emma. Maybe it was because Emma had been the first human she’d ever really seen. Maybe this was how it felt like to want to be friends with a human girl. Maybe…

 

Regina watched Pongo run back to Emma. The girl crouched down and let Pongo lick her face, a laugh rising from her as she pat the dog. Her eyes suddenly left the dog as she looked around in the garden, her gaze eventually shifting up to Regina’s balcony. Emma offered Regina a wide smile and a wave of her free hand, and Regina waved hers back.

 

She could feel odd fluttering in her stomach when Emma smiled at her. She couldn’t figure out why it was or why Emma made her feel the way she did, but Regina couldn’t suppress a smile when Emma looked at her with twinkling eyes.

 

She shot one more look at Emma before withdrawing to her quarters to listen to Tink’s rant about the day. The starfish had ended up in the kitchen where she had seen lunch being made from fish and crabs **.** The experience had traumatized Tink thoroughly; she didn’t talk about much else all evening, although she occasionally mentioned that Regina should be more set on her goal of getting a True Love’s kiss from the Prince instead of trying to befriend his sister.

 

“I hope that you appreciate what I go through for you,” Tink said as Regina lay down on the bed.

 

The bed was so soft. She didn’t have other words to describe it. After spending all day surrounded by air and occasional seats under her behind, it was odd to lie on something so comfortable. It felt heavenly.

 

She could feel her eyes starting to drift closed. It had been a long day. Tink’s instructions as to how to charm the Prince faded in the background as she started dreaming of the following day.

 


	2. Day Two: Kiss the Girl

 

They left the castle before noon to take their tour around the kingdom. Regina buzzed with excitement as she sat down between Emma and the Prince. When she looked around, she noticed that there were two more people in the carriage: a woman Regina thought had been on the ship when she had first seen Emma and a man she couldn’t recall seeing before.

 

“Are you ready to go?” the man asked them.

 

“I suppose we are,” the Prince responded and looked first at Regina and then Emma. “Ready whenever you are, Lancelot.”

 

The man – Lancelot – smiled at them and looked at the woman next to him. When the woman nodded, the man pulled the reins in his hands, and suddenly, they were moving.

 

Their carriage was pulled by two animals. Regina had heard of them before, first from her father, and then later Henry when she had wanted to know more about the creatures. Now that she saw them up close, she was enamoured immediately; horses were beautiful and moved gracefully in front of them. It was weird how they moved fast without any effort and without water helping them float onwards. Regina would’ve wanted to touch and pat one immensely, but she knew she really couldn’t do that when they were moving.

 

“You like horses?” Emma asked from her side.

 

Regina couldn’t suppress a smile. She must’ve been so obvious. Hopefully not as obvious as to seem like she had never seen a horse before, but Emma’s comment made it seem like she was safe. She nodded.

 

“You should be introduced then,” Emma said. “Mulan, can our friend meet the horses later?”

 

“Of course,” the woman, Mulan, responded from the front seat.

 

“She could try riding one one of these days,” Lancelot added. The man smiled and looked back from his seat. “Would you like to?”

 

She nodded, which gained a smile from Lancelot and a benevolent laugh from Emma.

 

“We should totally try,” Emma agreed.

 

Regina was ecstatic. Not only was she going to see the kingdom, she would get to meet the horses too. She still couldn’t realistically think about her future of riding too much yet, because she knew she would’ve had to break her curse in order to stay human any longer than three days.

 

Once they crossed something Lancelot called a bridge, she took a glimpse of the water underneath them and quickly spotted a familiar set of dark eyes looking at her. Marian was obviously spending more time close to humans now that Regina was actually walking among them.

 

Sadly, she could hardly ask Mulan and Lancelot to stop so she could talk to her friend. She didn’t have her voice, and more importantly, being friends with a mermaid would’ve probably made her appear suspicious, so she smiled at Marian as subtly as she could before fixating her gaze on the plaza in front of them.

 

Everything looked so beautiful. There was so much green everywhere - not the kind of green Regina was used to seeing under the sea, but bushes and trees that reached towards the clear blue sky. The red roofs of white brick houses looked vibrant in the sunlight and Regina spotted stairs everywhere because humans couldn’t get into their houses by swimming.  She could’ve lived like this every day of her life and not get bored.

 

Eventually, they were in what the Prince and Emma called the main square of the kingdom. She had the chance to walk around once they stopped and Mulan and Lancelot left them to find some water for the horses to drink. She was happy to see that were lots of people - more than she had ever seen before. They were simply spending their time like any other day, but she found it incredibly fascinating. There were people walking around and talking in the sunny square, and some of them were exchanging money for food at a nearby street market. She spotted a few children jumping and playing with a ball not too far away from her, and she felt at least as excited as they looked.  

 

The kingdom was everything she had dreamed of. She had always wanted more than just to collect human gadgets she had gotten her hands on every once in a while. She had always wanted to be a part of the human world, and now she was strolling down the streets with people as if she were one of them. It felt so right.

 

When they approached another nearby square, she could see people dancing. She was mesmerized by how their legs moved in tune with the music that a few musicians were playing with their instruments. Regina couldn’t stop smiling.

 

“Would you like to dance?” asked the Prince.

 

She was pulled back from her thoughts. Technically, she did want to dance, but she didn’t know how. She barely knew how to walk. She couldn’t possibly –

 

Yet, somehow against all her better judgement, she found herself nodding.

 

The Prince smiled as he took her hand and guided them to the plaza where other dancing pairs were moving to music. The Prince started by spinning her around and then putting one had on her waist and linking their free hands, but Regina was confused. She wanted to dance – she had always wanted to – but she didn’t know where to put her feet and she ended up stepping on the Prince’s toes.

 

“You mind if I cut in?” Emma’s voice came behind her after a while. She sounded more polite than usual, but when Regina turned to look at her, her face was as amused as it often was around her. “You’re obviously trying to impress her with your dancing skills you learned for royal balls instead of just… dancing like anyone would,” she added quietly to her brother, but in a way Regina could still hear her.

 

“Uhm,” the Prince responded, a blush spreading on his cheeks. “I suppose… Sorry.”

 

“May I?” Emma asked, her eyes still on her brother.

 

The Prince nodded, his expression still confused as he moved towards Lancelot who had just arrived. The two of them soon started talking, and Regina was left alone in the middle of the  couples with Emma.

 

“You don’t have to dance with me if you don’t want to,” Emma said to her, her tone suddenly uncertain. “I just saw that you weren’t really enjoying his dancing, but honestly, we can just go look at the horses, I mean…”

 

Regina took Emma’s hand in hers instead and smiled at her. Maybe dancing like this would work. She really wanted to dance – it had been her dream for a long time – and holding Emma’s hand felt much nicer than holding the Prince’s hand. Their palms were practically the same size and she loved how Emma’s fingers interlaced with hers before the other girl brought her free hand to Regina’s waist.

 

It felt very nice to just sway to the music and occasionally spin when Emma slowly guided her in a twirl under her arm and back. Suddenly, they were very close to each other, their bodies pressed together so that she could feel Emma’s breasts and stomach against hers. Regina quite enjoyed being this close to Emma in a way she had never enjoyed the Prince’s closeness. She didn’t know why. Maybe it was because the Prince was too tall or too different from her, or maybe it was because she just felt safe with Emma.

 

That’s why she couldn’t understand why Emma looked down and blushed when Regina pressed even closer to her. Wasn’t this what people did when they danced, anyway?

 

She was just about to stop dancing because she didn’t want to make Emma uncomfortable with whatever it was she was doing wrong, but then the other girl looked up again. She looked puzzled, as if there was a question she wanted to ask but she didn’t. Her gaze drifted from Regina’s eyes to her mouth, and Regina looked at Emma’s lips and suddenly wanted to –

 

She really _really_ wanted to –

 

“We should get going,” came a voice behind them, and Emma sprung away as if she had been burned. The Prince was looking at them with a confused expression on his face, but he didn’t say anything more before walking back to where Lancelot and Mulan were waiting for them.

 

“I, um,” Emma said, her face red. “You wanna go meet the horses?”

 

She nodded, and they started walking towards the others. Regina was confused by Emma’s reaction, but she didn’t have much time to ponder on that when she saw the horses.

 

They were even more beautiful up close. They were tall and majestic and at the same time they looked kind and easily approachable. Regina extended her hand towards a horse and touched its black hair when Mulan gave her the permission to do so.

 

“His name is Khan,” Mulan said. “We’ve been through a lot together.”

 

Regina smiled. Mulan was a royal knight – no one had said that to her, but she had figured as much – so she couldn’t even imagine the half of it.

 

She didn’t get to spend as much time with the horses as she would’ve wanted to (she was positive she could never grow bored of them) because they needed to go back to the castle to attend dinner in time.  She still enjoyed the time she had with them greatly, and nothing made her more positive that she wanted to stay human as their visit to the town did.

 

* * *

 

 

Dinner that night was similar to what it had been the day before. The King and Queen had a lot of questions about their day, Emma and the Prince answered them, although Emma seemed to be overly lost in thought half the time.

 

By the time they were having dessert, the Prince offered to take Regina on a boat ride after the sunset.  She agreed to the idea – she had to if she wanted to get the Prince to kiss her before sunset the following day – and not an hour later she was walking towards the beach again.

 

She was alone. The Prince had left before her to prepare the boat for sailing, and Regina had nonverbally assured everyone she didn’t need help getting to the beach. Emma had seemed a bit hurt when she had refused her company, but she really needed to find Marian and meet up with her alone before she’d be seeing the Prince again.

 

Going to the beach without the intention of going to swim felt weird. It wasn’t a bad feeling; it was simply odd because she had lived in water all of her life. She was looking at the water hitting the rocks and wondered if Marian was anywhere closeby when she could hear her friend’s voice behind a rock in the middle of the water.

 

“Regina!” Marian said, waving her hand. She disappeared under water, and a few seconds later, she reappeared above the surface much closer to Regina. “Tink and Henry told me about your day.”

 

“Don’t talk as if I’m not here,” came a voice behind Marian, and soon Regina could see the green starfish climbing on Marian’s shoulder. “I’m here, and I’m worried because Regina should kiss the Prince soon or else bad things will happen, and we all know it!”

 

“What’s happening?” Henry said as he flew towards them.

 

“I’m surrounded by amateurs! That’s what’s happening!” Tink moaned dramatically. “The Prince has to want to kiss the girl here and he better do it soon or all hope is lost!”

 

“Are you sure that’s what should happen?” Marian said.

 

“What do you mean?” asked Henry.

 

“I mean, the way I heard it, Regina is obviously more interested in –”

 

Marian didn’t get to finish her sentence, because suddenly they could all hear steps heading their way and Regina’s friend was underwater in virtually no time.

 

“Here you are!” the Prince said when Regina turned around. He was smiling, so Regina supposed he hadn’t seen Marian or heard her talking before she had disappeared. He looked happy and excited; his expression reminded Regina of Emma’s when she had been showing her the city earlier.

 

She pushed Marian’s words to the back of her mind before shaking her head and flashing the Prince a smile. The Prince smiled back at her, and then his gaze fixated on something near the seashore.

 

“So, I got the boat ready if you still want to join me,” he said, a smile still on his lips. “There’s a charming lagoon nearby that I’d like to show you.”

 

Regina nodded. She reminded herself to stay focused on the goal instead of becoming overly enthusiastic about the boat ride, but it was hard since she had always wanted to go on one. Human things simply fascinated her.

 

“Come,” the Prince said as he extended his hand towards her. She took it and let the Prince guide her towards a boat that had been hidden behind some shrubs.

 

Boarding the boat went well. The Prince helped her get on the vessel and after some initial difficulties, she was able to sit still without issues. Regina found it different looking at water when she was sailing on a boat above it. She liked it.

 

The problems arose only when Henry started singing – although it could hardly be called as singing – on a nearby tree branch.

 

“Someone should find that poor animal and put it out of its misery,” the Prince asserted.

 

She smiled awkwardly at the Prince. This wasn’t exactly setting up a romantic mood, and she had told herself that she should really try to get the kiss tonight. It would be too late soon.

 

“This is so crazy. I don’t even know your name or anything about you or what you’ve done, but I feel like we should be together,” the Prince says. “There’s just something about you. Do you feel it too?”

 

Regina nodded. She supposed so. She wanted to be with someone human and the family of the

Prince was lovely, and it seemed almost like destiny she had ended up there despite her short time on land. It was all too big of a coincidence for it to be coincidence.

 

The Prince paddled as they floated into the lagoon the Prince had mentioned earlier. It was beautiful, and the moonlight they had been swimming in earlier was blocked by the leaves of the big trees surrounding them.

 

Regina smiled when the Prince brought his hand above hers and moved closer. This would be it. True Love’s Kiss. She inched closer, too eager to get the kiss over with so they could move on to live their happily ever after without the ticking time bomb that was Regina’s pact with Rumpelstiltskin.

 

Just as their lips were about to brush together, Regina could feel the boat moving in the wrong direction, and then they were flipped over by something beneath the surface. She was momentarily pulled underwater, but she managed to get her head above the waterline (rather clumsily, since she wasn’t used to swimming without her fin. Legs were different altogether).

 

The Prince soon appeared next to her, swimming as if it was no big deal to swim without a fin. His expression soon changed from confusion to worry when he saw Regina struggling with keeping her head above water.

 

She rolled her eyes. This was ridiculous. She would need to learn how to properly swim with legs – if she could keep them, that is.

 

“Wait, let me help you,” the Prince said. They swam to the shore together, and the Prince assured that he would get the boat later after Regina was safely on ground. She would’ve insisted he didn’t have to do any of that, but she was currently unable to voice any of her thoughts, so all she could do was either nod or shake her head.

 

Once they were back on the beach, Regina felt exhausted. She had been so close to her True Love’s Kiss, but someone from the sea – probably intentionally – had kept her from kissing the Prince. She felt furious. No one did that to her. She would get her happy ending.

 

On that note, she surged towards the Prince and brought her lips to his. She kept her mouth pressed against his, unsure what else she should do, but then the Prince relaxed too and brought his hands to her neck as his lips moved against hers.

 

As they broke apart, Regina opened her mouth to explain what had happened.

 

 _I-_ she tried to say, but no voice came out.

 

No voice came out of her after her kiss with the Prince.

 

Her heartbeat increased and she found it hard to breathe, her breaths coming out in shallow gasps. This couldn’t be happening. If she didn’t share True Love with the Prince, then who would it be? And more importantly, who could she find to kiss in less than a day before she ran out of time?

 

She was doomed.

 

She could feel frustrated tears swelling up in her eyes, and she just wanted to scream and yell, but she knew she couldn’t do either.

 

“That was… Hey, where are you going?” the Prince said, but Regina could barely register what he was saying. She was running away from him. She couldn’t do this anymore. How could she have been so naïve as to believe that she could’ve actually escape from her mother and get something of her own for once? Her mother ruined everything.

 

She stopped running when she couldn’t see where she was going anymore. She was crying too much, tears streaming down her face and her breathing coming out in shallow pants. What was she going to do?

 

She looked around and saw she was still by the seashore, but this time she could make out the castle behind the trees not too far away from her. She had been running towards the castle.

 

“Regina?”

 

She turned around and saw Marian’s head peeking out of the water. She sighed. Even seeing her friend was a reminder she wasn’t alone, and she could feel her breathing even out as she sat down on the ground.

 

“I saw what happened,” Marian said quietly as she swam a bit closer.  “Are you okay?”

 

She snorted. She would’ve laughed, but she couldn’t do that either.

 

“Sorry, stupid question,” Marian continued. “So the kiss didn’t work?”

 

She shook her head.

 

“I’m sorry,” Marian said. Regina could see she really meant it. “You’re still gonna try, right? Until sunset tomorrow?”

 

Regina took a shaky breath. It wasn’t like she had a choice. She wouldn’t stay waiting for her ultimate demise. Maybe she could find someone the next day. And even if she couldn’t, she would enjoy her last day as a human… with her friend, Emma.

 

“So, do you have anyone else who might be your True Love?” Marian asked cautiously, which made Regina snort again. “Sorry, stupid question. I just heard that you’ve been getting along with–”

 

Marian was cut short once again when there was sudden snapping of twigs behind Regina. Regina turned around and she was met with the sight of a confused-looking Mulan. The woman was staring at the two of them with wide eyes. Marian had been too slow to dive underwater.

 

“Marian?” Mulan said, and Regina’s mouth gaped open. Mulan and Marian knew each other?

 

“Hi, Mulan,” Marian said.

 

“I was told to come look for you,” Mulan said, flabbergasted. Her words were obviously directed at Regina, but her eyes never left Marian. “Do you know each other?”

 

Regina was confused. Did _she_ and _Marian_ know each other? How about Mulan and Marian knowing each other? There was something her friend hadn’t told her.

 

“It’s a long story,” Marian gritted between her teeth.

 

“I see,” Mulan said. “Well–”

 

Suddenly, there were sounds in the woods again and Marian dove underwater. Regina turned her head towards Mulan’s direction, and soon she saw Lancelot appearing from behind the trees.

 

“Oh, you found her!” Lancelot said, and Mulan barely nodded. “Prince Robin will be pleased. He went in the wrong direction. Should we go?”

 

Mulan nodded again, almost as speechless as Regina.

 

Regina sighed and tried to brush away the remnants of her tears. She had no other option but to follow Mulan and Lancelot and be left wondering what Marian hadn’t told her.

 

* * *

 

 

Regina had really thought she was done crying, but once she made it back to the room she was temporarily inhabiting, she broke into tears again. She couldn’t believe any of this was happening. She had one day left, and then she’d belong to Rumpelstiltskin.

 

Maybe her mother had been right. She should’ve just been good and done as she wanted and she could’ve avoided everything.

 

At the same time, she was still glad she had done what she had. She had defied her mother and shown her that she didn’t own her. She had lived her dream and become human (albeit for a very short time) and walked and danced on land and spent a day in the sun. She wouldn’t have traded that for the world. These two days had been magical, and she could of course try to find her True Love until the last minute, although after what had happened, she couldn’t fully believe she would.

 

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knock on the door. It couldn’t be the Prince; they had briefly said goodnight before Regina had turned in and she had seen him out just a moment ago when she had looked down from her balcony.

 

She got up from her bed and walked towards the door. She could do this. Whoever it was behind the door, she could nod and be polite and then nonverbally tell them goodnight before closing the door again and crying some more.

 

When she opened the door, she found out that it wasn’t the Prince that had come looking for her. It was his sister.  Emma’s brow was scrunched in concern, and she had her hands in the back pockets of her pants. She looked a bit uncomfortable, as if she didn’t know what she was doing.

 

“Hey,” Emma said after a short silence. “Are you okay? Uhm… Mulan told me to come talk to you?”

 

That was weird. Not the weirdest thing that Regina had heard, not by a long shot, but Regina still found it odd that Mulan – who apparently knew Marian – had told Emma to come talk to her in the middle of the night.

 

“She… said you could use a friend?” Emma continued uncertainly.

 

Regina fought back a sob and a roll of her eyes. She really could’ve used a friend. More than anything, she could’ve really used a True Love right then, but was evidently a bit harder to find.

 

She moved away from the door and walked back into her room. She could feel Emma’s footsteps following her as she sat down on her bed. She gave Emma an encouraging smile. She really wished she had been able to talk.

 

“Have you been crying?” Emma asked as she walked closer to her. “Did someone hurt you?”

 

Regina shook her head. No one had hurt her. Not recently, anyway. The two people that wanted to hurt her the most were in the sea. The sea she would have to return to in less than twenty-four hours if she couldn’t figure out where to find True Love.

 

Emma sat down on the bed next to Regina and placed her hand on hers. Emma’s skin felt pleasant against hers; her touch was warm and reassuring. She was overtaken by the same feeling she had experienced earlier when they’d been dancing in the square. It was strange, the kind of pull she felt towards Emma–

 

“Ahem,” said someone by the door. Regina turned her head from Emma to the source of the sound and was met with the sight of a particularly annoyed-looking Zelena. “The Queen told me to bring you a fresh set of clothes for tomorrow.”

 

Zelena took a look at their hands before shaking her head and walking towards the armchair where she had left clothes before.

 

“Thank you, Zelena,” Emma said.“You know, you’ve done a lot today. You can quit early tonight,” Emma said casually. “I saw Belle was reading a book in the garden a while ago. She looked like she could’ve used some company.”

 

“What?” Zelena said, shocked. “Why on Earth would I care about that?”

 

“I just thought she could really use the company. Think about it.”

 

“I see,” Zelena said as she walked back to the door. “Goodnight.”

 

The maid shut the door behind her a bit too loudly for it to be an accident, and they were left alone again. Regina was so annoyed because Zelena still hated her even though Regina would never be with the Prince. She was even more annoyed because she couldn’t even tell Zelena that she didn’t even want to be with him anymore, but she couldn’t because she was unable to speak.

 

She let out an annoyed huff without even realizing.

 

“I think she’s honestly just pressed because she’s really crushing on the gardener’s daughter,” Emma said matter-of-factly. “It’s hard for her to accept, and she’s lashing out because some people have it easier than her and have their fairytale endings.”

 

Regina raised her brow. She wouldn’t have guessed that in a million years. At least not the part about the gardener’s daughter.  She was struck by an odd feeling she couldn’t name.

 

She shook her head. It didn’t matter anyway. She needed to focus.

 

“And at the same time she would really like to be the future Queen by Robin’s side, but that’s really unlikely to happen now that you’re in the picture,” Emma continued nonchalantly until she saw Regina’s face fall. “Wait. Don’t you want to be with Robin?”

 

She let out a deep sigh. She didn’t. She doubted she ever had. She had just been so strongly guided by what she had wanted to realize that the Prince hadn’t been her True Love. She had been more interested in becoming human than being with the Prince. He was… nice, but a lot of things were a lot nicer in comparison, like having legs or dancing with Emma.

 

“I take that as a no,” Emma said. “Well, for what it’s worth, you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, so anyone you ever want to be with would be lucky to have you.”

 

Regina could feel a blush spreading on her cheeks. She wasn’t sure why she was so strongly affected by Emma’s remark, but she knew that she reacted to the girl’s words more strongly than she ever would’ve to anyone else’s. It wasn’t like it was for example with Marian; her friend could’ve said the same to Regina and she would’ve simply told Marian to stop being ridiculous because there were tons of mermaids that were prettier than her.

 

But with Emma, it was different. She knew Emma _really_ meant what she said and that it meant something more. She _wanted_ it to mean something more.

 

“I’m really glad you’re here,” Emma said as she hesitantly brushed a lock of Regina’s hair behind her ear. Emma was smiling so beautifully, her lips curving upwards so that her smile reached her eyes, and Regina knew Emma had been wrong. She wouldn’t be the most beautiful girl Emma had seen – not when mirrors existed.

 

Emma had become such an important person to her during such a short time, and she couldn’t believe she might have to say goodbye to her (and to human life altogether) when she had just found her. She just wanted to know her better and _talk_ to her, and…

 

She wasn’t sure what made her do it, but suddenly the indescribable feeling from earlier was back and she was moving forward and bringing her lips to Emma’s. Emma responded to the kiss almost instantly, almost as if she had been expecting it, her hands cupping Regina’s face as their lips moved against each other. Regina was overwhelmed by how soft and heavenly Emma’s mouth felt against hers in comparison to the Prince’s, but soon she was distracted by the slight burning in her throat and a tingling sensation in her legs.

 

She pulled away fast and was met with the sight of awkward-looking Emma. The girl scrunched her brow, her uncertain frown becoming deeper every second. Her hands had left Regina’s cheeks and she drew one of them through her hair. Suddenly, she looked very small even though she was slightly taller than Regina.

 

“I’m sorry. Uhm,” Emma started.

 

“No, it’s fine,” Regina said, and she realized she hadn’t just thought the words. She had actually uttered them with her own mouth. She was able to talk again, which pointed to the fact that the curse was broken.

 

_She had really become a human on time._

 

Before she knew what was happening, she was crying. She had been half expecting to never find True Love in such a short time after what happened with the Prince, but there she was, having regained her speaking abilities after kissing Emma. It was all very overwhelming, and it was hard for her to breathe because she was so surprised and confused and at the same time _relieved._

 

She had found True Love, and not just any true love. True Love with Emma, who was so wonderful she felt incredibly lucky to-

 

“Did you just talk?” Emma said, interrupting her thoughts. Her tone could’ve been interpreted as accusatory, but when she looked at Emma, she could see confusion being replaced by wonder.

 

“Yes, I… was under a curse of some sort and we seemed to have broken it,” she explained. It felt weird having her voice back after not being able to even introduce herself for a couple of days.

 

“Your voice is amazing,” Emma said, her eyes on Regina’s mouth. “What’s your name?”

 

“Are you just gonna blatantly ignore the part about us breaking a curse?” she asked before adding, “It’s Regina.”

 

“That’s a pretty name,” Emma said as her lips curved into a smile and she brought her eyes to Regina’s. “And sorry. I was just a little distracted. So you weren’t able to speak because of a curse?”

 

She loved how Emma believed her straight away. She explained the deal she had made with Rumpelstiltskin and why she had done what she had, and Emma listened to her and nodded and gasped at all the right parts. She mentioned the names of her friends, but left out that Henry was a bird and Tink a starfish. By the end of the story, Emma was holding her hand again.

 

“So, I hope that my past and the fact that being a mermaid will always be a part of me won’t affect your feelings… which, according to what just occurred, exist.”

 

“Of course not!” Emma said as a reassuring smile spread over her face. “You’re unique and... special. I feel like you listen to me and understand me like no one else in this castle.”

 

Regina couldn’t hold back a smile at that. Emma returned her smile and moved closer to her with a questioning smirk in her eyes. Regina closed the gap between them, and they were kissing again, her bottom lip between Emma’s and Emma’s free hand tangling in her hair.

 

Kissing Emma was truly wonderful. The way her lips felt against hers and how soft they felt; how they tasted. How she wanted nothing more than to get closer to Emma and how she knew she could never ever get tired of kissing her. She would never be able to get enough.

 

She couldn’t believe it had taken her so long to see what was right in front of her. Maybe it was the expectation that she would fall for a man. Maybe it was something else. But whatever it was, she was incredibly glad she had thought to kiss Emma in time.

 

“I’m so glad I kissed you,” she breathed out between kisses. “Not only for the curse breaking, but because I would’ve truly been missing out.”

 

“Same,” Emma said before kissing her again and pulling her even closer. “Stay with me.”

 

“What?” Regina said as she pulled away.

 

Emma looked like she was regretting her words already, afraid of rejection. “I mean, if you want. In the castle. With me. I’d love to share my home with you as long as you want because this place has never felt like home as much as now that you’re here.” She was looking at Regina uncertainly.

 

“Emma,” she breathed out. That was honestly the sweetest thing the other girl had said thus far. “I’d love to.”

 

“Yeah?” Emma said, her uncertainty gradually fading. “You sure?”

 

“I’d want nothing more than to get to know you and the land better, and we just shared a True Love’s kiss. I’m more than certain,” she assured the other girl.

 

Emma’s face broke into the most beautiful smile, and that was really something considering the amount of smiles Regina had already seen. She brought her hand to Emma’s neck and pulled her into another kiss that was full of love and assurance.

 

* * *

 

They ended up sleeping in Regina’s bed, talking about everything and holding hands until Emma fell asleep next to her. Regina didn’t want to wake her; she looked so peaceful when she was asleep, so she simply hoped that no one would notice Emma’s absence that night.

  
Regina couldn’t get over how happy she felt with Emma breathing quietly next to her. She had everything she could’ve ever wanted. The moon shone beautifully outside and the night sky looked breathtaking. Regina fell asleep wondering how many beautiful phases of the moon she would  get to see with Emma by her side.


	3. Day Three: Poor Unfortunate Souls

She woke up to the shrieking of a certain bird. When she opened her eyes, she could see Henry had flown into her room.

 

“Regina! Wake up! I just heard the news!” he said. “Congratulations!”

 

“Wha–” Emma muttered next to her, still half asleep.

 

“Henry, be quiet. You’ll wake up the entire castle,” she ordered. She didn’t want everyone to run into her room when there was a bird indoors (humans didn’t like that) and Emma was still in her bed (Emma had said people wouldn’t like that either).

 

“Regina, you can talk!” he exclaimed, only barely lowering his voice. “Did kissing the Prince work after all? Everyone’s talking about the Prince getting married!”

 

“Not exactly,” Regina replied quietly. “And what?”

 

“A talking bird,” Emma said, her mouth gaping open. “Seriously? Am I still dreaming?”

 

“No, you’re not,” Regina admitted.

 

“My name is Henry. I’m Regina’s friend,” Henry said.

 

“Of course you are,” Emma said, although her tone implied that a talking bird was not the kind of friend she had been expecting.

 

Henry didn’t seem to mind Emma’s reaction. “What do you mean the kiss didn’t work? You’re talking. That means the spell is broken, right?”

 

“I kissed the Prince first. It didn’t work,” Regina explained, a blush rising on her cheeks. “Then I kissed this princess here. It worked.”

 

Henry let out an excited squeal. “Marian was right!”

 

“Marian?”

 

Henry nodded. “After you went back to the castle, she and Tink had a fight over who you should be with: Robin or Emma. Tink kept insisting that you were basically meant to be and soulmates, and Marian kept telling Tink to look at the facts. She said that you just hadn’t realized what was in front of you yet because you’d been expecting your True Love to be a man.”

 

Regina opened her mouth, but no words came out. She couldn’t really argue with Henry; she had been blind because of her expectations for so long, but now she could see what had been in front of her all along.

 

“But why is the Prince getting married, then?” Henry asked.

 

“Robin’s getting married?” Emma said as she finally sat up. Her hair was mussed from sleep and she let out a long yawn before resting her head on Regina’s shoulder.

 

“That’s what everyone’s talking about!” Henry explained. “I thought it was to Regina, but I guess not.”

 

“He’s not proposed to me, so it’d be highly presumptuous to go telling everyone he’s getting married to me. It has to be someone else.”

 

“Regina– oh, my God.”

 

She turned towards the source of the sound and was faced with a dumbstruck Mulan. The woman in armor was standing by her door, a hand on her neck and her smile awkward.

 

“I thought I heard noises, but apparently there’s just a… bird in your room,” she said awkwardly. Henry seemed to take this as a sign to fly out of the window. “And an Emma in your bed.”

 

“How do you know my name?” she asked. She hadn’t told it to anyone apart from Emma, and the girl had been by her side the whole night.

 

“So you _have_ gotten your voice back,” Mulan said, relief evident on her face. “I had a chat with your friend Marian, and it was rather eye-opening. I was coming here to help you with your task, but it seems to me that you figured it out on your own. Marian had a hunch Emma might be your True Love, but she didn’t have the chance to say it yesterday.”

 

“Marian. The best friend Regina told me about, right?” Emma asked.

 

Mulan nodded.

 

Regina felt a bit more at ease at that. Mulan didn’t know her name because she was working for her mother or Rumpelstiltskin. She knew her name because she knew Marian. “How _do_ you know Marian, though?”

 

“It’s a… long story,” Mulan said, her eyes on the floor. “But basically, she approached me yesterday when I was feeding the horses. She had apparently seen me for the first time when Regina had seen Emma and she really wanted to get to know me better.”

 

“Oh, my God,” Emma said. Regina turned to look at her. The girl had covered her mouth with her hand. “You like her.”

 

Mulan rolled her eyes. “Please do shut up, your highness.”

 

“I _knew_ it!” Emma squealed.

 

Regina felt happy too. If Marian and Mulan were able to have what she had found (with a bit less risk, of course), she would be ecstatic.

 

“I think we should focus on the matter at hand, though,” Mulan said. “The Queen told me she’s expecting the two of you downstairs in a quarter of an hour. There’s a wedding taking place. Prince Robin is marrying _Zelena.”_

 

“What?” Emma cried out.

 

“How does that even make sense?”

 

“I don’t know, really,” Mulan said. She shrugged. “I honestly didn’t think… But I guess it’s not my place to say anything.”

 

The whole situation seemed rather peculiar.  Even though Regina didn’t want to have anything to do with the Prince romantically, him acting like this made her suspicious. Zelena had been acting jealous for the entire time Regina had been in the castle, yet the Prince had shown no interest in the red-haired girl until now.

 

“I honestly don’t get it,” Emma said. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say someone cast a spell on him. But that stuff is super rare, and why would anyone…”

 

Regina coughed.

 

“To sabotage your True Love’s kiss, of course!” Emma exclaimed. Then she flashed Regina a smile as she said, “Well, they should’ve looked elsewhere, because you broke the curse already. With me.”

 

Emma pressed a chaste kiss on her lips and Regina couldn’t suppress a smile. Emma could distract her only for a second, though, because there was a suspicious wedding about to take place.

 

“It could also just be Zelena being Zelena and nothing to do with your curse,” Mulan suggested quietly.

 

“I suppose we should… Find out what happened?” Regina suggested and was met with nods from both Emma and Mulan.

 

“I need to go now, but you two get ready and report to the Queen before she comes looking for you,” Mulan said before turning on her heel. “I’ll see you soon.”

 

* * *

 

Regina couldn’t get over how absurd everything felt. As if having legs wasn’t enough, she was now permanently human and she had shared a True Love’s first kiss with the sister of the person she had expected to share said kiss with.

 

Not that she was complaining, of course. Now that she knew what being with Emma and kissing her was like, she would’ve never traded it for anything else. She couldn’t believe she could’ve ever even wanted anything else when she could talk with Emma and hold her hand and tell her things she had never wanted to tell anyone else. Emma was the most beautiful and interesting person she had ever met.

 

It was just odd how the balance of everything had shifted, and Regina didn’t know how to proceed. When she saw Mary Margaret, the woman’s greetings were followed by her apologies on what had happened with the Prince, which made her feel off; being with the Prince was the last thing on her mind.  She saw no reason to think about him romantically –  not when she was with someone she actually wanted to be with and when there was a (figurative) storm approaching them. They needed to find out what Zelena was up to.

 

“Are you sure we shouldn’t tell your parents?” Regina said as they walked into the garden after breakfast. It was a beautiful garden, lots of green and a few large fountains, but Regina couldn’t fully enjoy the view when the wedding was only a few hours away.  “Maybe they could…”

 

“Look,” Emma said. “People have never cared about what I’ve had to say. If… my parents haven’t realized something’s seriously wrong with Robin, then what makes you think they’d believe me when they’ve… only just met me and they’ve had Robin in their lives ever since he was a baby?”

 

Regina didn’t know how to respond to that. She supposed Emma had a point, and they did have Mulan on their side. They could’ve still used some extra help - fighting Zelena and whoever else they were up against felt very ill-advised.

 

Regina was so deep in thought she didn’t realize that she’d almost bumped into someone.

 

“Oh, I’m _so_ sorry,” came a heavily accented voice behind a box of flowers. “I didn’t see you. Are you okay?”

 

The girl behind the flowers couldn’t have been older than them. Her light brown hair was pulled back and she was dressed in a blue dress and a white apron.

 

“We’re fine, Belle,” Emma said before Regina had to talk. “Don’t worry... My dad said you’d be on the ship by now.  They were talking about some decorations.”

 

“Oh, that’s where I’m going,” Belle explained. “We needed more flowers.”

 

“Oh, well, that’s good,” Emma said.

 

“You haven’t seen Zelena, have you?” Belle asked. The question seemed casual enough, but the girl’s voice wavered a bit at the mention of the bride. Regina couldn’t forget what Emma had said about Zelena’s feelings towards Belle and wondered if they were mutual.

 

“I haven’t seen her today,” Emma said. “I suppose she would be getting ready for the wedding.”

 

“Um, yes, of course,” Belle said, her cheeks red and her voice wavering even more. “I should probably get going. Those decorations won’t hang themselves. I’ll see you at the wedding, your highness.”

 

“It’s Emma,” Emma said as Belle walked past them.

 

“See you, Emma,” Belle said before walking away, towards the castle gates.

 

“So, that’s the gardener’s daughter?” Regina said, although it was obvious that Belle was the person Emma had mentioned the previous night.

 

“Yeah, that’s Belle,” Emma confirmed as her expression fell again. “We really need to figure out what’s going on.”

 

Regina nodded. They had to.

 

“Regina!” came a voice from the sky, and a moment later, she could spot Henry flying towards them again. “Did you find out who the Prince is marrying?”

 

“We did,” Regina responded quietly. She didn’t want anyone to hear she had actually regained her speaking abilities. “It’s the maid. Zelena.”

 

“We think he might be under a spell,” Emma added.

 

Henry nodded his small bird head.

 

“Do you know where Marian and Tink are now?” Regina asked Henry.

 

“Marian was on the shore talking to that knight lady,” Henry said. “I think Tink was spying on the Prince or something.”

 

“Henry, can you go look for Tink and tell her to go look for my mother and Rumpelstiltskin and check if they’re still in the sea? She’s spying on the wrong person,” she said. “You should go check on the bride.”

 

“On it!” Henry said and flew away.

 

“So, wait. What are we doing?” Emma asked her.

 

“We’re going to talk to Mulan and Marian and figure out what we’re up against.”

 

* * *

 

 

It was a beautiful sunny day. There was a nice breeze of wind on her face, and she was walking next to Emma just like she wanted to, but she could hardly enjoy their walk to the harbor. She had everything she had been so scared of losing just hours ago, but they were on a mission.

 

As they got closer to the harbor, she could see a long-haired royal soldier with their back turned. The soldier was standing on one spot and facing the water and seemed to be talking to no one in particular.

 

“Hey, Mulan!” Emma said as they got closer. “Oh.”

 

Emma’s talking came to an abrupt halt when they were close enough to Mulan to see that she wasn’t alone. Regina could instantly recognize her best friend smirking from the water; Marian was hidden underneath one of the docks, her head and shoulders just above water, but the rest of her body completely hidden under the surface.

 

“Hi, Regina,” Marian greeted her, her smile never leaving her lips. “I heard the good news. Congrats!”

 

“Thank you,” Regina said.  Even though she would’ve wanted to tell Marian about her dream coming true under different circumstances, she couldn’t suppress a small smile.

 

“So, you’re really human now? Permanent legs and everything?” Marian continued. Regina had known her long enough to tell that she felt a bit wistful since she wouldn’t be coming back home with her anymore.

 

“Yes, it’d appear so,” she said. “I’ll come see you at the beach, though. We’ll swim. I’ll live really close.”

 

“Yeah?” said Marian.

 

“Yes,” Regina replied.

 

“Okay, I hate to ruin the moment, but we need to think of a plan of action,” Mulan said. “Anything new I should know?”

 

“My friend Tink,” Regina started, but then realized Mulan wouldn’t know who Tink was without her elaborating. “Who’s a... starfish… She’s trying to find out if my mother and Rumpelstiltskin are still in the sea.”

 

“Okay,” Mulan said, although she had raised her usually calm brow at the mention of a starfish friend.

 

“This doesn’t seem like it’s only Zelena’s doing,” she continued. “If she had had magic all along, why wouldn’t she have enchanted the Prince earlier?”

 

“Someone who wants Regina to fail might be helping her,” Emma added.

 

“I could help you too, like Tink” Marian suggested. “I’ll just go look.”

 

Regina felt uncertain. Marian would probably do more than just look if she thought taking action would help someone else. She was tempted to say no, but Marian would do what she wanted to anyway.

 

“Just go look,” Regina said. “I mean it. Nothing’s gonna happen to you. If you discover something, you come here.”

 

“And even if you don’t, you should still come back to check in so we know you’re okay,” Mulan continued.

 

“I’ll be fine,” Marian assured them. She smiled before turning around and diving into the sea, her red fin splashing water around until she was gone.

 

“Whoa,” Emma said. “That was cool.”

 

“Not as impressive as having legs,” Regina pointed out.

 

Emma turned to her, her face shocked. She looked at her as if she didn’t know if she was joking or not, but she seemed to come to the conclusion that the situation amused her.

 

“You’re so easy to impress,” Emma finally said.

 

“This world is just very interesting.”

 

“Anyway,” Mulan said. “I guess-”

 

“Regina!” came another shriek from a sky.

 

Mulan didn’t get to finish what she had been about to say as a little bird caught their attention. Henry was flying towards them at an incredible speed; he glided towards them so fast that he flew right into the sea, underwater until he came back up, his feathers wet and his shrieks subsided.

 

“Regina,” Henry said. “I think the bride is up to something.”

 

“Why?” Mulan asked.

 

“I flew by an open window, and I heard her talking to herself…. She said she’d finally get her what she had always wanted and deserved… Then she said _thank you,_ so maybe she wasn’t alone after all.”

 

Regina stayed silent. She couldn't believe this. Someone from the ocean seemed to be working with Zelena, and they were most likely someone who was working against her. Why couldn’t she be left alone? She was human now.

 

“What do you wanna do?” Emma asked.

 

She sighed. She would have to find closure, and they’d have to face Zelena and keep Emma’s brother from getting married against his will. “We’ll go to the wedding and act normal and I’ll confront her there,” she said.

 

Emma and Mulan both nodded.

 

* * *

 

The wedding took place on a ship. It was a beautiful, large ship (a yacht as Mary Margaret had called it) and it had been decorated with a lot of white flowers that were similar to the ones Belle had been carrying earlier. It had been a warm sunny day, and they were now faced with a beautiful orange sunset - the kind that Regina could’ve only dreamt of when she had been under the sea.  She still found herself unable to enjoy the sunset or the weather as her mind was focused solely on the wedding and the mission to stop Zelena and whoever was helping her.

 

“What’s happening here?” a familiar voice asked behind her.

 

Regina turned around and saw she was facing Lancelot. For a moment, she wondered if the man was trustworthy enough to know what was really happening, but Mulan seemed to make that decision for her.

 

“We think someone has helped Zelena to enchant Prince Robin and he’s being forced to get married against his will,” Mulan explained in a low tone. “We need to do something.”

 

“Oh,” Lancelot replied, his smile fading in a matter of seconds. He scrunched his brow. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the case was just that. I saw him a while ago, and he wasn’t himself. Do you know who’s behind this?”

 

“Probably this sea sorcerer Regina made a deal with,” Emma said. “It’s a long story, but the good news is that we broke one curse already!” Some of the old excitement in Emma’s voice was back even though she was trying to whisper. “Now we’ve just gotta stop the wedding.”

 

“You… broke a _curse_?” Lancelot asked, his eyes wide.

 

“It’s a long story, but basically Regina here can speak again and she and Emma share True Love,” Mulan said, her voice serious but a hint of a smile on her lips. “The Queen is here.”

 

All four of them quickly turned to where Mulan had nodded, and they were met with the sight of Mary Margaret moving towards them. The Queen was making her way through the fancily-clad crowd in a lilac dress that had a flowing train that trailed behind her.

 

“Hi,” she said when she was within a hearing distance from them. “I hope everyone’s okay here. We’re almost settled to start the wedding when the clock strikes six.”

 

“How’s Robin?” Emma asked before anyone had the time to actually confess that none of them wanted the wedding to happen in the first place.

 

“He’s… overwhelmed, I guess. I tried to ask him, but he keeps telling me he’s alright…” Mary Margaret looked thoughtful, as if she was trying to solve a puzzle that just couldn’t be solved. She sighed and shook her head as she turned to look at Regina. “Honestly, I’m still so surprised. Not that I don’t like Zelena, but I just would’ve loved to have you in the family.”

 

Regina wanted to respond, but she knew that the less she spoke, the better. It was possible that the person behind the enchantment thought that Regina still hadn’t broken the curse, and she wanted to keep it that way for now.

 

“I don’t see why she couldn’t be a part of the family,” Lancelot quipped absent-mindedly next to Mulan.

 

“What?” Mary Margaret said, feigning confusion.

 

“Oh, never mind,” he said. “Plenty of time for that later. Look, Robin is here.”

 

Regina followed Mary Margaret’s gaze and was shocked to see how different from normal the Prince looked. It seemed like all liveliness had been sucked out of him as he stared at nothing in particular.

 

“Oh, there he is!” Mary Margaret gasped as if her son wasn’t under a spell of some sort. She turned to the four of them with happy tears in her eyes. “I’ll be over there if you need me.”

 

“That’s… Not him,” Mulan said.

 

It really wasn’t. Regina had seen enough magic in her life - there had been times when her mother had used it on her when she had been disobedient that she’d rather forget -  to know that the Prince was under an enchantment of some sort.

 

“So, what’s the plan?” Emma asked. “We wait until the ceremony for Zelena to show up and then tell them… something?”

 

“Well, since she has been conveniently absent until now, I don’t see what I else we can do,” Regina responded. When they had boarded the ship, Mulan had told them Zelena had had yet to arrive. She had stayed in the castle, away from prying eyes.

 

“She should be here already. We’re about to leave port,” Lancelot pointed out, his dark brow scrunched as his eyes studied the Prince. “Maybe I should go see if she’s below the deck.”

 

“Go,” Mulan replied with a nod. “I’ll stay here and make sure they’re safe.”

 

Lancelot nodded and turned on his heel, leaving the three of them standing near the railing of the deck. Regina looked down. She could see the surface of the water, but nothing beneath it. It felt odd being where she had always wanted to be when she was still so worried about what would happen next.

 

Suddenly, the ship started moving. For a moment, she felt panic rise inside her – maybe Rumpelstiltskin or her mother was doing something  – but then she felt Emma’s soothing hand on her back.

 

“It’s fine. They’re gonna do the whole thing as we… cruise around the sea or something,” the girl explained. Emma sounded like she tried to appear more carefree than she actually was, because there was a weird strain in her voice as she kept convincing Regina everything was fine. “I guess Zelena’s on board already, then.”

 

“Should we go look for her?” Mulan asked. “If you want to try talking to her in private before the ceremony…”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Okay,” Emma agreed as they made their way towards what Regina assumed was where they could go below the deck. One of the knights dressed into similar wear as Mulan and Lancelot opened the door for them after a short moment of hesitation. Regina knew she would have never been able to go to talk to Zelena on her own, but the company of a royal knight and a princess apparently took you to places.

 

The room they entered was dark and only illuminated by two small torches hanging on the wall. Regina could never get over how mesmerizing fire looked, dancing flames in red, orange and yellow that brought warmth and could do great damage if they were uncontrolled. It was nothing like they had under the sea.

 

“Okay, which room is hers?” Emma pondered next to her, but just then one of the doors opened and Lancelot stepped out.

 

“Hey,” he said upon seeing them. His face was a mixture of surprise and concern, and he lowered his voice as he spoke. “She refuses to answer any of my questions. She only says that other people shouldn’t be jealous that she’s going to be royalty.”

 

Regina rolled her eyes. “Of course.”

 

“Do you still wanna go in there?” Emma asked her.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Okay, um,” Emma said. “See you in a bit, Lancelot?”

 

“I’ll stay right here just in case,” he said.

 

Mulan knocked on the door of the room Lancelot had just left. All of them stayed quiet for a while, the echo of the knocks in the air and the chatter from the deck only distant noise.

 

“What now?” Zelena’s voice muttered loudly enough for them to hear. “It’s open!”

 

As they stepped in, Regina could see the room was much nicer than the one they’d just been in. It was bright and furnished similarly to the castle. Zelena was sitting in front of a vanity table, dressed in a white puffy wedding dress and a veil. She was powdering her already pale face and didn’t bother to look into their direction straight away.

 

“Well, I see you’re all suddenly very interested in me,” Zelena said as she turned to look at them. She looked tired, the shadows under her eyes dark in comparison to her otherwise fair complexion. “Afraid your future Queen won’t like you?”

 

“Zelena,” Emma spoke. “Did you enchant my brother so that he would marry you?”

 

Zelena’s mouth gaped open, but her shock didn’t look genuine. “That is a serious accusation, Emma. Once I’m Queen I won’t tolerate this kind of behavior, no matter if you’re technically my sister-in-law.”

 

“Don’t lie to me, Zelena,” Emma said. “I can always tell–”

 

“Yes, you can always tell when someone’s lying. I’ve heard,” Zelena replied, her gaze back in the mirror and her tone bored. “It’s pretty hypocritical that you’d blame _me_ for lying when your _friend_ there can talk.” Zelena turned back to them. “Yeah, I heard you this morning.  I don’t know how you just waltzed in here and got everyone to trust you, but I know where you come from.”

 

“A bit rich coming from you,” Emma said as she nodded at Zelena.

 

“Don’t talk to me like that,” Zelena said as she got up, her face turning red under the white powder. “I am to be your Queen and this gold digger here won’t marry Robin, so you can just leave. He’s marrying someone else entirely. I’m the one that’s going to marry into this family.”

 

“Don’t talk to her like that,” Emma interrupted, her voice an octave higher.

 

“Your plan doesn’t matter. I found love somewhere else,” Regina muttered as she laced her fingers with Emma’s and flashed Zelena what she hoped was a triumphant smile. She wouldn’t be talked to like that. Not when Zelena herself was obviously marrying the Prince to become the Queen. “So I wouldn’t say that you’re the only one who can marry into this family.”

 

Regina shrugged and tried to look as confident as she could. She tried not to think how everyone would eventually react to a girl wanting to marry the only princess of the kingdom.

 

Zelena’s eyes shot to their linked hands and her lip curved. “Well, I suppose we’d be _sisters_ then too.”

 

Regina didn’t have time to analyze Zelena’s odd response, because that was when the door behind the squeaked and someone stepped in. When she turned around, she could see Lancelot had entered the room with _Belle._

 

“Uhm, Zelena. Hello,” Belle said, avoiding the other girl’s eyes. “Do you need help with your dress or anything?”

 

“Belle,” Zelena said, her tone completely changed. When Regina turned her gaze from Belle to the bride-to-be, she could see all color had drained from Zelena’s face and she looked like she had been caught doing something illegal. “I suppose.”

 

“You don’t mind the company, do you?” Belle asked.

 

“Yes. I mean, no. I don’t mind,” Zelena said as she shot one last look at Regina. “Goodbye. I’ll see you at the ceremony.”

 

Regina would’ve rolled her eyes, but she was too intrigued by the change of atmosphere that had taken place when Belle had walked into the room. She continued to stare at Zelena as both Emma and Mulan started moving in her peripheral vision.

 

“Come,” Emma whispered into her ear. She brought the hand that had been holding Regina’s to her back to guide her out of the room.

 

“I read the book you recommended,” Zelena said as the door closed behind them.

 

“Well,” Lancelot said once they were back on deck.

 

“Poor Belle,” Mulan said. “She shouldn’t have to watch the person she wants to be with marry someone else. Not when Zelena has obviously liked Belle since forever.”

 

“So, what should we do?” Emma said as she slowly brought her hand back to her side. “Should we just wait or–?”

 

“Regina, Regina!” squeaked a bird for the umpteenth time that day. Henry was flying fast towards them, small wings flapping until he flew straight towards Lancelot’s back. The man turned around, his expression confused. “Your mom and Rumpelstiltskin aren’t in the sea,” added a small voice from the floor behind Lancelot.

 

“A… talking bird,” Lancelot said.

 

“I’m Henry,” the bird said as he got up and shook his feathers. “I’m Regina’s friend.”

 

“Thank you, Henry,” Mulan said. “So neither of them are there?”

 

“No,” Henry replied. “Tink checked Cora’s home, and the other starfish told her she had left last night. Marian couldn’t find Rumpelstiltskin either; the eels told her he had business to attend to somewhere else.”

 

“So it could be either one of them,” Regina concluded, desperation dawning to her. “Why won’t they leave me alone?”

 

“You need to get to your seats,” came a voice behind them, and Regina was faced with Mary Margaret. “Oh, a bird!”

 

Henry started singing (not particularly beautifully, as Regina had had the privilege to witness the previous night on her boat ride), but Mary Margaret’s expression melted and she crouched down despite the dress she was wearing. The Queen picked Henry up and started making faces while Regina fought the urge to roll her eyes. The Queen was acting ridiculous, and Henry was being a showoff.

 

“The ceremony is about to start, your Majesty,” a knight walking towards them said. “Your husband was looking for you.”

 

“Oh, well, then I must find him,” the Queen responded. “Bye, little bird.”

 

Henry cooed in response.

 

“I’ll see you two in a bit,” the Queen added as Henry flew onto Regina’s shoulder.

 

“So, I guess we should take our seats, then?” Emma said quietly.

 

“Hmm,” she could barely respond. Regina’s eyes bore on Mary Margaret’s back as the woman walked towards the altar. Maybe they should’ve told her? Maybe on some level she knew already? Maybe...

 

“Okay, let’s go,” Mulan said, and they started walking towards the first row of the seats, leaving Lancelot behind.

 

As they walked, Regina tried to look around to see if there was anyone suspicious in the crowd, but here were so many people in attendance that she knew that finding her mother or Rumpelstiltskin would be impossible.

 

“You okay?” Emma asked her as they sat down on two seats in the front row.

 

Regina wanted to reply, but the risk to get exposed was too big. She simply nodded, although she felt hardly “okay,” as Emma had put it. Even the possibility of facing her mother or Rumpelstiltskin made her blood run cold. She didn’t want to see either of them ever again.

 

“Yeah, same,” Emma muttered under her breath as her hand brushed subtly against Regina’s.

 

“I’m going to be in the back with Lancelot. We’ll be watching over you in case anything happens,” Mulan said before leaving.

 

“Our plan sucks,” Emma muttered as the violinists started playing the first few tunes and the low chatter around them quieted down.

 

Regina turned her head in sync with everyone else, and saw Zelena ascending from below the deck. The girl wasn’t smiling anymore, not like she had been when they had first entered her quarters. The happiness on her face looked forced now; it wasn’t how Regina would’ve looked like if she had been marrying Emma. Zelena looked uncertain as she walked forward alone, but she still kept a gracious poise as her determined gaze eventually fixated on the altar.

 

Regina wasn’t sure what she should do. Maybe she should just start yelling? That might’ve worked. The girl formerly known as mute talking might turn a few heads.  She turned her gaze behind her and searched the crowd for _anything_ that could’ve given her solid proof that the wedding should stop.

 

Eventually, she saw it. Almost right behind her, in the second row between the King and the Queen, there was a man who looked oddly familiar. She hadn’t seen him before – not exactly like this – but she would’ve known that smirk anywhere. The smile on the man’s lips was the same she saw when she first got legs.

 

Rumpelstiltskin was here.

 

“Dearly beloved–”

 

“Stop!” she yelled.

 

Emma was looking at her, her face alarmed. Regina realized she had stood up and all eyes were suddenly on her.

 

“I… Maybe you haven’t heard of him, but we have a reason to believe that the Dark One of the sea kingdom has put an enchantment on the Prince. He hasn’t chosen to marry Zelena.”

 

“Oh, shut up!” Zelena’s voice sounded from the altar. “This is _my_ day and the Dark One has nothing to do with this! I can’t believe you always try to take everything from me!”

 

“That is… actually true. I have nothing to do with this,” Rumpelstiltskin said calmly as he stood up. He was dressed in a black suit just like most men at the wedding, his scaly skin looked that of a man, and he stood on two legs, although he was leaning on a cane.  It was weird to see him like this; like a human instead of a sea creature with pincers and six legs. “I haven’t had to do anything after you signed our deal.”

 

“But you’ve been trying to sabotage my happy ending! I knew you weren’t on my side even though you said you wanted me to win. You flipped the boat over last night when I was about to kiss the Prince. Why did you even bother with this wedding when the kiss didn’t work?”

 

“I honestly did no such thing,” Rumpelstiltskin said, shaking his head. “And as for the wedding, I’m merely an observer here. I knew you'd broken the curse once your voice left my cavern, so I thought I’d come to witness this day with my own eyes.”

 

“Someone… flipped the boat over,” she continued. She was certain someone had intentionally flipped the boat over. “Wasn’t it you?”

 

“It was me, dear,” she heard from behind herself and her blood froze. _No._

 

Regina didn’t have to turn around to know who was talking to her. When someone raised you, you’d recognize their voice anywhere.

 

“It’s rude to look at someone else when your mother is talking, Regina,” her mother said.

 

Regina felt panic rise inside her at once. She had upset her mother. She had no magic and her mother was a very powerful sorceress. They were surrounded by water, and Regina was by all standards human now, whereas her mother was a mermaid. There was nothing she could do.

 

“Mother,” she said. She slowly turned around, tears welling in her eyes. She could see that her mother was dressed in a fancy red dress like a human, and she had magicked herself a pair of legs with which she approached Regina.

 

“You look ridiculous,” her mother said. “I won’t accept a human as my daughter.”

 

“Um,” Rumpelstiltskin asserted, his forefinger up. “That is a bit hypocritical considering that you did the same thing as Regina when you were nineteen.”

 

“What?” Regina said. “You’re lying.”

 

“Thank you for that… enlightening remark, Rumpelstiltskin,” her mother said. Her expression was calm, but Regina could see there was fury underneath the surface. Her mother was fuming. That could only mean…

 

“You actually did what I did when you were my age?”

 

Her mother laughed. It was one of those horrible dismissive laughs that she gave people when she knew they had nothing on her. “I was young and foolish, much like yourself. But I’m older and wiser now, and I know better. There’s no reason for you to live on land. None. Stop this ridiculousness. You’re coming home with me, and tomorrow you will marry the King.”

 

“No, I won’t,” she said. “Because unlike you, I actually managed to find love in time, and I’m human now. You’re just jealous.”

 

“Do _not…_ ” her mother said, and Regina could feel her throat constrict, “take that tone with me.”

 

She could feel tears on her cheeks. She couldn’t speak; her throat hurt. Then, suddenly, everything was normal again. She doubted anyone could even see her mother had just used magic on her, but she knew. She had before.

 

“And I managed to find love. Just not where I expected to and not quite in those three days, but just when my time was up, so I returned back to the sea,” her mother continued as if nothing had happened. She picked on invisible lint on her red velvet dress as she walked closer to Regina. “And that is where we belong.”

 

“What about your True Love, then?” she asked. She really didn’t want to talk to her mother; she just wanted to leave, but it wasn’t like she had any choice. She might as well listen to the whole story.

 

“He proved to be useful. He taught me all the magic I know today, although he had the gift of seeing the future, which I never learned” her mother explained, a wistful smile on her lips. “He told me my child would fall in love with the King and Queen’s child of the same age, so I pretended to be a seer and told them to send their youngest child away or the kingdom would crumble. Worked like a charm. I couldn’t have my daughter – a mermaid! – to go and fall in love with a human.”

 

Regina could feel Emma gasp next to her.

 

“Until now, of course. I should’ve just killed the child right after it was born,” her mother added, her eyes finally shifting to Emma. “No good comes from sleeping with the enemy.”

 

“The enemy?” Regina repeated, her voice hollow. She couldn’t believe not only her life was in danger, but also Emma’s. Her mother wouldn’t get to do this. Not after she had done everything Regina had and dared to pretend she was any better.

 

“Yes, dear. Humans are the enemy. They only use you until they get what they want,” her mother asserted. “During those first two days I searched for love on land, I fell pregnant, yet the father of the baby told me to go back to the sea when he found out. This princess you’ve grown so fond of wouldn’t give you a second glance if you didn’t have permanent legs.”

 

“That is _not_ true,” Emma said, finally standing up. Regina could see Emma was fuming; she must’ve been getting gradually more and more furious as Cora had been speaking. Her face was red and her eyes were full of fire. “I love her.”

 

“Foolish girl. Love is weakness. It doesn’t mean anything. One day you realize you want a human. Even a man. You don’t mix with my daughter.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“So, what happened with your True Love?” Regina asked, interrupting Emma. She knew that if Emma kept on talking back at her mother, she would be flung into the sea or something similar before any of them could realize what was happening.

 

“Your mother had somewhere more important to be,” Rumpelstiltskin casually added. He was sat down on his chair again and didn’t seem too surprised by what was happening. “Marrying sea nobles.”

 

Her mother rolled her eyes. “Stop being so bitter. Love is weakness. I did fine with what I got. Well, after getting rid of the human baby.” She waved her hand dismissively.

 

“You didn’t care about the baby?” Regina asked.

 

“She was never like us, and I had to look after myself, Regina. But now I’m looking after you,” her mother said in a tone that might’ve sounded kind to someone who didn’t know any better. Her mother’s words were ice, and Regina knew her patience was growing thin already. “I won’t let you make the same mistake I did. You’re coming with me now, and you’ll get everything. The life and position others would kill to have.”

 

She took a deep breath. This was now or never. In a perfect world, her mother would’ve let things go once she had shared a True Love’s kiss with Emma, but she should’ve known nothing was ever that easy with her mother. Nothing ever would be. She would continue trying to control her until her last breath, and this was the final chance to push back. One more time, and hopefully more successfully than before.

 

“No,” she said.

 

She could feel Emma stand still on her side, but her eyes were on her mother. Her face fell first before she bared her teeth. Eventually, a malevolent smile took over her face, and Regina could feel her heart pounding in her chest and her head get dizzy. She was terrified.

 

“I don’t think that’s your decision to make, Regina,” her mother said as she clapped her hands together. “I am your mother, and I won’t have you ruining everything I’ve done for you just because you let your heart make your decisions for you. Love is weakness.”

 

“No,” she heard Emma mutter next to her. “It’s strength.  She’s fought too hard to have her happiness destroyed.”

 

Then, several things happened very fast. Emma stepped in front of Regina, but before anyone could say anything, Cora had snapped her fingers, and Emma collapsed. Regina and the King who’d been sitting right next to Emma helped Regina catch her just in time before she hit the deck, but that was little consolation when Emma’s body felt lifeless in her hands. Her mother wouldn’t – Emma had done nothing wrong –

 

Emma’s face looked calm, as if she was sleeping, and her limp body felt warm in Regina’s arms. Regina could feel tears welling in her eyes and her face go all hot; the rage she felt towards her mother never felt this strong. Mother had crossed the line.

 

“What the hell did you do?” she gritted through her teeth when she finally turned her gaze from Emma to her mother.

 

“Nothing much,” her mother quipped triumphantly. “Just a simple sleeping curse that can only be broken by her one True Love’s kiss.”

 

Regina felt a tiny flicker of hope. That shouldn’t be too hard. They had already broken one curse. Regina brought her lips towards Emma’s, but just as she was about to kiss her, she was frozen on the spot. She couldn’t move.

 

Desperation overtook her once again. She knew exactly what had happened. Her mother had frozen her like this with magic before when she had been disobedient. She couldn’t move no matter how much she wanted to. She could feel magic start to lift her up into the air as Emma slipped from her arms to the wooden deck of the ship. She was facing her mother now as the woman walked even closer to her, her eyes gleaming and a smile on her lips.

 

“Too bad she won’t be getting that anytime soon,” mother pointed out. “In a way, this is more tragic than killing her. No one will be able to do anything even though everyone knows there’s a solution. Teaches everyone a lesson.”

 

Regina could feel herself levitating off of the ground. She could barely breathe; she couldn’t even see anymore because she was crying so much. She just wanted to apologize to Emma and everyone. She couldn’t believe she had thought she could find her happy ending as long as her mother was alive.

 

“Enough,” she could hear a heavily accented voice say, and the next thing she knew, she fell down on the ground next to Emma.

 

She brushed her tears away with trembling hands and turned to look at the sight in front of her. There was a pile of ashes on the ground where her mother had been, and Zelena was standing right behind the pile, her gaze switching between the ashes and her open palms. She was breathing heavily and her face looked crimson against her white dress.

 

“I’m…” Zelena said, her voice strained. She didn’t sound like she’d wanted to do what she had done at all, but she kept her head up as she wrapped her arms around herself. “I didn’t even mean to do that. I just… wanted her to stop.”

 

“I believe the party is over, then,” Rumpelstiltskin’s voice came from somewhere behind the crowd. “As fulfilling as it has been to see this scenario finally run its course, I shall leave all of you to figure out the rest on your own.”

 

After a few seconds, Regina could hear a splash of water, which indicated that Rumpelstiltskin had actually left the ship, but she couldn’t even bother to turn her head and check. She was having a hard time trying to regain her breath when Emma was practically lifeless in front of her and her mother had been turned into ashes by Zelena, who wasn’t just the maid but...

 

“Well, sis.  I’d kiss her if I were you,” Zelena said, her hands shaking. It was odd how Regina hadn’t seen the resemblance Zelena bore to her mother before this; it was so clear now.  “You haven’t got all day… I mean, technically you do, but I’d imagine you’d want Emma awake as soon as possible.”

 

Regina spent a short while gaping at Zelena before she came back to her senses. _Emma._ Emma was still limp on the deck in front of her, her face peaceful but unusually pale. Regina took a deep breath before bringing her lips to Emma’s and prayed that everything would work and Emma would wake up as soon as their lips touched.

 

She was terrified when nothing happened at first. She felt like she might as well have been kissing a comatose person, but when she pulled away, Emma’s eyes shot open and the other girl gasped for breath.

 

“Emma.”

 

“Regina,” Emma said. She managed to sound both confused and relieved at the same time. “Hey.”

 

“Hey,” she said. She realized she was crying again as tears started to blur her vision.

 

“What happened?” Emma asked as she got up on her elbows and brought her thumb to brush away Regina’s tears. “Is everyone okay?”

 

“Yes. They are now.”

 

She smiled and brought her hand to Emma’s. Nothing else mattered right now. If she had to choose between keeping her mother or Emma alive, she would choose Emma in a heartbeat.

 

“You all right, Emma?” the Prince asked after a short while. He had left the altar and was standing next to his worried-looking father. The King and the Prince appeared to be equally confused even though only one of them had been under a spell. Regina was glad to notice that the glazed-over look in the Prince’s eyes was gone and he was back to his usual self.

 

“Yeah, great,” Emma grinned as she made no attempt to get up.

 

“And you know what happened?” David asked.

 

Emma scrunched her face. Suddenly, panic started to fill her features. Her eyes shifted from her parents and brother to Regina and the crowd around them.

 

“Okay, everyone back to their seats! We’ll be returning to shore shortly,” said Mulan somewhere near them, but Regina could barely register her words. She could only look at Emma’s scared face.

 

“I… Regina’s mom was here, and… I passed out?” Emma muttered.

 

Everyone around them was quiet. The crowd was dispersing as Mulan, Lancelot, and some other knights made sure everyone would get back to their seats instead of looking at them.

 

“She put you under a sleeping curse,” Regina explained.

 

“A…” Emma said, but she seemed to have realized what had happened already.

 

“And you were woken up by a True Love’s kiss,” Mary Margaret concluded after Emma didn’t say anything.

 

“Mom,” Emma said, almost apologetic. She seemed to have understood what had happened. Panic was clear on her face as she got up to sit properly. “Look.”

 

Emma’s nervousness was contagious. Regina turned to look at the King and Queen too, wondering how badly they just might react to their daughter being kissed awake by another girl.

 

“Emma,” Mary Margaret said as she got down on her knees to meet Emma on her level. “It’s okay.”

 

“We’re just glad you’re alive and back with us,” David said as he followed his wife to sit on the deck.

 

“We were actually talking about this rather recently and I do believe we should change some of the kingdom laws.”

 

“Are you just saying that?” Emma asked. She was crying now, tears on her cheeks and her voice wobbly.

 

“No,” David said.

 

“I love True love in all of its forms. We’re just happy to have you back,”  Mary Margaret stated before turning to look at Regina. “And I’m a bit surprised, but I’d love to have you in the family; this way works too.”

 

A hollow “thank you” was all Regina could manage at this point. She was happy to see Emma was okay and that her parents were accepting of her, but there was something else that was on her mind, too.

 

She started searching the crowd for a particular redhead in a wedding dress. The people who had been surrounding them had moved around and were all seated now, seemingly minding their own business (although Regina could spot more than one pair of curious eyes on them). She eventually found Zelena; the girl was leaning on the railing with her back turned and her red hair blowing in the wind. Belle was stroking her back and saying something, but Zelena herself wasn’t moving much.

 

“I’ll be right back, okay?” Regina said. Emma’s brow scrunched in confusion, but she nodded as her parents squeezed her in a hug.

 

Regina nodded at the Prince before moving past him and leaving the royal family to figure things on their own for a while. No one questioned her when she moved past the crowd and approached Zelena.

 

The girl was looking at the sea, her back turned, until Regina was close enough to be heard. When Zelena turned around, Regina could immediately tell she had been crying: her eyes were red, her makeup was ruined, and her jaw was a tight line.

 

“What?” Zelena said. “You got your happy ending. Just go.”

 

“Are you really my sister?” she asked. She had to, even though she knew the answer already. Even though Zelena didn’t remind Regina of herself at all, she shared so many facial features of their mother’s that she couldn’t believe it had taken her this long to make the connection.

 

“Yes.”

 

“I’ll… be over there,” Belle said and gave Zelena one more look before walking away.

 

“She came to me last night, you know,” Zelena said as she turned her back to the crowd, her eyes on the sea. “After Emma told me to go find Belle.”

 

Regina nodded and moved closer but didn’t say a thing. She was listening, but she didn’t want to overstep.

 

“So she came to me. Saying all these… things. How she’s my mother and she finally found me and how she’ll make me a queen with magic. She even taught me to tap into my own magic,” Zelena sniffed. “I was an idiot to believe her. So when I saw how she treated you and... manipulated you, something inside me just snapped. She just wanted me to marry Robin so her child would marry the royal child of the same age like Rumpelstiltskin foresaw and she could take you back to the sea. Robin and I are the same age, so if we had been in love, it would’ve probably worked. You and Emma are the same age too, and that’s why she was sent away… So she would be separated from you.”

 

“I see.”

 

“She knew I had always wanted something more and she used it against me, but you heard her,” Zelena said as she finally turned to look at Regina. “She didn’t care about me. Not as a baby, and not even now. I’m human, so I never mattered.”

 

“I know. I’m sorry,” she said. She stayed quiet for a moment before, “I hope we could… salvage what we have here and at least try to be friends. Sisters, if you want.”

 

Zelena laughed. It was a tired laugh. “I hate you,” Zelena scoffed, but this time her heart didn’t really seem to be in it. “I disliked you when you waltzed into the castle and suddenly had a royal marriage offered to you on a silver platter, but I really hated you when I found out we were sisters last night and you had had everything I could ever dream of.” She shook her head and looked away. “But yes, I suppose… I suppose we could try that.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“For what?” Zelena asked, confused.

 

“For saving her. And me.”

 

She waited for Zelena’s response for a while. The girl closed her eyes and exhaled loudly. She brought wrapped her arms around herself, as if she was trying not to fall apart.

 

“You’re welcome,” Zelena finally replied with a curt nod.

 

* * *

 

 

After she and Zelena came to the conclusion that they weren’t ready to grieve more together just yet, Regina started searching for Emma. The girl, her parents, and her brother had all disappeared while she had been talking to Zelena, and after a while, Lancelot guided her below the deck to see them.  

 

She found all four royals sitting at a table in a cabin that was more spacious than the one Zelena had been in. Their gazes moved to Regina once she entered the room, and for a moment, she felt like an intruder in the scene. The feeling was luckily rather short-lived since Mary Margaret and David stood up and welcomed her with open arms and Emma’s numb expression turned into a tentative smile.

 

“We filled Emma in on the details,” David explained as he and Mary Margaret approached Regina.

 

“We thought you might want to talk in private,” Mary Margaret continued. “We’ll be upstairs talking to our guests.”

 

Regina nodded. She would very much prefer to talk to Emma without the girl’s parents or brother listening to their conversation. When she turned to look at the Prince, he got up from his seat as well and made a beeline towards his parents.

 

“Is this… really what your heart desires?” he asked her.

 

Regina found the entire question ridiculous. Not only was the question rather inappropriate at a time like this, but she had also broken two enchantments with the love she and Emma shared, and the Prince still thought she would choose someone else.

 

“Yes.”

 

The Prince nodded. “Congratulations, then.”

 

“Happy endings aren’t always what we think they will be,” Mary Margaret said as the three of them exited the cabin and left Regina alone with Emma.

 

Suddenly, she didn’t know what to say. It was weird. She had spent so much time wishing that she could just talk to Emma and explain things, and now that she could and they needed to talk, she wasn’t sure where to begin. Should she start talking about what happened to her mother or how she saved Emma? Or perhaps Emma’s reaction to her parents finding out about them? Should she tell Emma about Zelena?

 

“I’m sorry about your mom,” Emma said as she stood up. She was fidgeting with her hands, her shoulders were tense, and her eyes were full of concern. “They told me what happened.”

 

Regina sighed. She walked closer to Emma and met her in the middle of the room. Now that she could see the other girl up close, she could tell that she had been crying a lot more than those few minutes on the deck; her eyes were red and her cheeks were still partly wet.

 

“It had to happen,” she said. “I even thanked Zelena for saving us.”

 

Emma looked at her for a while as if she was trying to catch her being dishonest, but the girl seemed to know she was telling the truth. Emma tentatively brought her arms around Regina in a warm hug that made her tremble. She didn't know how she was supposed to feel. For years, she had wanted to both escape her mother and live on land, and now that she had done both, she felt overwhelmed by the fact that both her parents were actually dead and her newfound sister had killed one of them.

 

“I love you,” Emma mumbled into Regina’s neck.

 

Regina inhaled sharply. It felt so right hearing those words from Emma when more than anything she knew she loved Emma too. At this point, she felt like Emma was her one constant. The only thing she was sure about was that she wanted to be with her. After Emma’s near-death experience, she really understood just how much.

 

“I love you too,” she responded. Despite her emotionally exhausted state, she couldn’t help a small smile from making its way onto her lips. She was with Emma. She was human. They would be okay. They had to be.

 

“So, turns out me being an orphan was actually because of your mother trying to keep you from finding me and not wanting you to get out of the sea,” Emma continued as she broke the hug.

 

“Yes, I heard.” Regina felt terrible. Her mother had ruined Emma’s childhood, too.

 

“It's weird to think that this makes them feel like sending me away was okay, but… I feel like they still chose to abandon me, you know? That the kingdom came first. Even if it had been true and they hadn't chosen to send me away, we would've still been together.”

 

Regina stayed silent, listening to Emma’s every word. She understood where she was coming from and how this was incredibly relevant to whom Emma was as a person.

 

“So yeah, I just… I just find it hard to believe that people would really want me around when even my own parents sent me away for something like that. I’ve never really felt loved or accepted, especially not for who I am. I… constantly feel like anything I do wrong could make them think they made a mistake by getting me back and they wouldn’t want me anymore.”

 

“Emma,” she started. “They're lucky to have you in their lives. Anyone would. They love you.”

 

“I mean I guess they might, but I just…” Emma didn't finish her sentence but let out a frustrated groan instead. “Waking up and realizing my parents had found out I liked girls was a bit too much because I’m always afraid I’ll disappoint them somehow and they won’t love me anymore. They had mentioned expecting me to find a man to marry in a few years, and I feared that this way I wouldn’t live up to what they wanted me to be.”

 

She nodded and took Emma's hands in hers.

 

“So, I kinda freaked out there earlier and you actually missed the most of it.” Emma scrunched her brow apologetically and then shrugged. “Then I heard what had happened to your mom and felt bad because I should’ve been there comforting you… And now I'm talking about myself, shit. I'm sorry.”

 

“Emma, I'm glad you told me how you're feeling,” she said as she held Emma’s hands tighter. "I want you to be able to talk to me."

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yes. You’re here now, and I’m here, and I will love and accept you unconditionally. The way you should’ve been loved and accepted ages ago.”

 

Emma seemed to be on the verge of tears again, her hands gripping Regina’s harder as her lip quivered. Regina knew that she could’ve stopped there, but she needed to point out one more thing.

 

“I think your family seems very accepting too,” she concluded.

 

“Yeah,” Emma said, her voice strained as she gripped Regina’s hand harder. “I was so surprised. I’d been freaking out ever since they mentioned my future husband and it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders… Yeah.”

 

“I love you,” she said again.

 

Emma let out a relieved laugh in the middle of crying. “I love you too.”  She held a small break looking Regina in the eyes before she asked, “Do you wanna talk about your mom?”

 

“Not right now.” As much as she knew she needed to talk, she wasn't ready yet. She felt so torn that even thinking about talking about her mother made her feel sick.  

 

“Okay,” Emma said, accepting her response.

 

She waited for a little while for Emma to say something else, but she simply kept looking Regina in the eye and stroking her hands with her thumbs. It was nice to be with Emma like this, despite everything.

 

“What happens now?” she asked. She had to. She didn’t have her old home anymore and several things had changed during the last hour or two. She wasn’t even sure how long they’d been on the ship. Time didn’t feel real anymore.

 

“Regina,” Emma said. She took a deep breath and brought one of her hands to Regina’s cheek to brush a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “Do you still wanna come to live in a castle with me? I mean, me and everyone else, but still.”

 

Regina couldn’t help but smile. Despite everything that had happened that day, some things were still good. Emma was alive. Emma was awake and breathing and asking her to move into the castle with her to start her human life.

 

The castle was even close to the shore, so she could meet Marian as often as she liked, too.

 

“Again, I would love to,” she said.  

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Regina couldn’t get over how beautiful Emma was when she smiled. The girl’s smile lit up the entire room even though they had both been crying only moments ago. Without much thinking, she closed the distance between them and brought her lips to Emma’s.

 

This kiss was light, not heated like some of the kisses they had already shared, but full of love and promise, and Regina cherished every second of it. Emma’s lips felt so pleasant and right against hers, and when they broke apart, Emma smiled at her again.

 

“Hi,” Emma said.

  
“Hey,” she responded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't plan to write an epilogue in the beginning, but since this is a fairytale AU, I felt like I couldn't leave it here, so there's still one more chapter which is basically just a short cute epilogue.


	4. Epilogue

“I now pronounce you wives,” the minister in front of them said.

 

It was a beautiful day. It had been raining earlier, but the sun was shining now and all the wedding guests were gathered on the deck of the same ship for the second time that year.

 

They hadn’t wanted a big ceremony  – just a peaceful small wedding sometime in the distant future  – but the Queen had been rather adamant. She had wanted her daughter to be the first person to marry under the kingdom’s new legislation which declared women could marry women and men could marry men, and in the end, they had just sort of gone with it. It didn’t matter that their wedding was bigger than originally intended and that it took place earlier than planned as long as they were together.

 

“You may now kiss each other,” the minister continued, and Regina was pulled back from her thoughts. She met Emma’s carefree eyes before closing the distance between them and sharing their first kiss as a married couple.

 

She was certain she would never get tired of kissing Emma. She loved how the other girl’s lips felt against hers; how close she was; how she always felt like she couldn’t get enough when their lips moved together.

 

This was hardly the time for a longer kiss since they were surrounded by people, so they broke apart and took a look at the small crowd gathered on the deck. Regina’s eyes scanned the wedding guests until her eyes landed on Zelena smiling in the front row between Mary Margaret and Belle. They had come a long way after losing their mother, and Regina felt comfortable calling Zelena her sister now.

 

She felt overwhelmed by the amount of caring people she had in her life; she hadn’t felt like this since her father had been alive. She had Emma, Emma’s family and other people from the castle, her sister, and her old friends from the sea. Said old friends were all attending the ceremony closeby: Tink and Henry were both sitting on the railing of the ship, and Regina could spot Marian watching them from water with a few other curious merpeople.

 

 _“You’re supposed to be moving,_ ” Zelena mouthed at her, and Regina realized the violinists had started playing  music again  – they weren’t supposed to be standing at the altar anymore. Emma seemed to notice the same thing, and with an “oops” and an incident where Regina’s newly-wedded wife almost tripped on her long white dress, they started walking away from the altar.

 

Eventually, they made their way to an empty room below the deck. Regina quickly recognized the room as the same one Zelena had been in on her wedding day, but she brushed the notion away. It felt like a lifetime ago, even though it had technically been less than a year.

 

“So, Mrs…” Emma started with a nervous smile, but she didn’t get to finish her sentence because suddenly someone was hissing “kiss her!”

 

“Tink?” Regina said, rather unperturbed by the comment, even though it came practically out of nowhere. Tink had the tendency to appear and start talking about how happy she was that Regina had found her True Love and soulmate even though she and Emma had first met almost a year ago.

 

“Tink,” Emma said, her eyes on the top of Regina’s head. Regina couldn’t believe the starfish had managed to climb above her hairdo and veil without her noticing. “I think this is what people call a private situation.”

 

Emma didn’t look particularly disappointed by Tink’s appearance  – mostly amused  – but Regina agreed that she would’ve wanted to spend a short moment alone with Emma before they had to go back to the party.

 

_Knock knock._

 

Then again, they had the rest of their lives to spend together. That short moment would have to wait.

 

“Emma, Regina,” Mulan said uncertainly as she slowly opened the door. “Everyone really wants to see you, so you should probably…” She didn’t finish her sentence but nodded towards the stairs that would take them to the deck.

 

“Okay, yeah,” Emma said as she took Regina’s hand in hers. “Sounds like a plan.”

 

“Congratulations,” Mulan continued, a smile spreading over her features. “Mary Margaret just told me how much she loved the ceremony. They’re all so happy for you.”

 

Regina turned to look at Emma at that. The other girl didn’t seem to know where to look, a smile on her lips and a blush on her cheeks. She thought Emma might’ve been overwhelmed by the support her parents had shown her since the girl hadn’t been used to anything like that earlier in her life, but she was slowly adjusting.

 

“I’m glad,” Emma finally responded.

 

“Okay,” Tink exclaimed on top of Regina’s head. “Let’s go.”

 

They walked back onto the deck after Mulan and were instantly greeted by Emma’s parents and brother. The King and Queen hugged them both as Zelena walked towards them, her eyes shifting between Mulan and the sea.

 

“I have an idea,” Zelena announced and clapped her hands together. “I’ve never tried this before, but I think I could…”

 

“Zelena, what are you–?” Regina started to ask, but then she saw Mulan was suddenly covered by green smoke, and the next thing she knew, the knight had a fin and was thrown into the sea.

 

Zelena’s magic performance made the entire party run to the railing to see what had happened to Mulan. After a moment, the young woman came back to the water surface, coughing up water and rubbing her eyes. She was supported by Marian who was brushing her hair away from her face.

 

“You should learn how to use the fin really quickly!” Zelena called out. “It’s not permanent; my magic is not _that_ advanced yet, but I felt like you could use a little push! And a day off.”

 

Mulan regarded Zelena with wide eyes, quiet and confused. Regina’s gaze soon shifted from Mulan to Marian, who looked rather amused by the whole situation. She winked at Regina.

 

“You can have your legs back anytime you want,” Zelena added as she started walking away from the railing. “Just shout!”

 

“Do you wanna see that lagoon I told you about?” Marian asked Mulan, and Regina realized her sister’s actions might just have been the push her two friends had needed.

 

“They’ve been dancing around each other for almost a year,” Zelena sighed as Regina followed her. “I had to do _something._ ”

 

“Evidently,” Regina said, although Zelena’s answer to the dilemma hadn’t exactly been what she’d been expecting.

 

“So, how does it feel?” Zelena asked.

 

“What?”

 

“Oh, I don’t know,” Zelena continued, feigning confusion. “Being married to your True Love? Finally being a part of the world you always wanted to live in?”

 

“It…. Feels good,” she answered truthfully. She had everything she could’ve ever dreamt of and more. The only person who was truly missing was her father.

 

“I’m glad,” Zelena said, her tone a bit more serious. “I’m happy for you, you know.”

 

“Thank you,” she responded. If someone had told her when she first came to the castle that she and Zelena would be in good terms and calling each other sisters a year later, she would’ve laughed in their face.  She was glad she had been wrong and they had reached this point.

 

“Should we… I don’t know… hug?” Zelena asked, her brow scrunched.

 

Regina rolled her eyes a brought her arms around her sister. “Thanks for coming.”

 

“A royal party where I am a guest instead of the maid and lots of free fancy food?” her sister said. “Wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

 

Regina laughed as they broke the hugh. “Thank you.”

 

“Anytime, sis,” Zelena said. “Anyway, your wife’s coming this way and I have somewhere else to be.” She flashed her another smile before walking away towards Belle.

 

"Hi."

 

Regina turned around and was faced with Emma. Her wife had quietly appeared behind her, looking beautiful in her simple long white dress and her loose blonde curls blowing in the wind. She was smiling as she took Regina’s hands in hers again and pressed a chaste kiss on her lips.

 

“I’m glad you’re in good terms with her now,” Emma said.

 

“Me too.”

 

“Wanna go get some cake?” Emma asked.

 

“I don’t know,” she responded. A few people were carrying different foods to the large table that had in a relatively short time turned into a buffet. “Can we?”

 

“It’s our wedding, of course we can,” Emma said and rolled her eyes. “I think they’re finished, and the food looks so good; I’m gonna eat everything at least twice.”

 

There was so much food that Regina was unsure if she could even eat everything once, but she knew better than to question Emma’s eating skills. Living under the same roof with her had taught her that the girl would and could eat at least three times as much as Regina.

 

“Then we should do that,” Regina said.

 

As they turned around, Regina spotted Zelena magicking something on the sky, and she could soon spot a beautiful rainbow in the horizon.

 

“I like them,” Zelena said and shrugged. “They’re pretty.”

 

“Yeah,” Emma said, and Regina was mesmerized by the smile on the girl’s face.

 

“Happy wedding day,” Zelena said, her voice so genuine that it took Regina by surprise. “May you two live happily ever after.”

 

And they did.

 

FIN

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Ida for reminding me that there's a rainbow in the last scene of the movie, lol.
> 
> Thank you for reading! If you made it this far, congrats. You're a champ. Please let me know if you liked it by leaving a comment or kudos? (This fic took an embarrassingly long time to write, so I'd love to hear some thoughts.)
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at [queenssaviour](http://queenssaviour.tumblr.com/) and on twitter at [splitswanqueen](https://twitter.com/splitswanqueen) (I'm currently on a Twitter hiatus, but I should be back soon)!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[ART] Cover for Part Of Your World](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8787787) by [coalitiongirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/coalitiongirl/pseuds/coalitiongirl)




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